Morocco to host symposium on cancer in January- HRH Princess Lalla Salma announces

New York - HRH Princess Lalla Salma announced, on Tuesday in New York, that Morocco will host in a January a symposium to examine the means to fight cancer.
This event will be an opportunity to ponder on issues relating to cancer, HRH Princess Lalla Salma, Chairwoman of the Lalla Salma association for the fight against cancer (ALSC), said during a dinner reception offered by HM King Mohammed VI, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on NCDs (September 19-20).

"The association that I have the honor to chair will be pleased to share its experience with renowned institutions from friendly and brotherly countries”, said HRH the Princess, who leads the Moroccan delegation to the UN summit on NCDs.

The Symposium “will lay the foundation for a fruitful cooperation between our countries”, she underscored.

On the same occasion, HRH the princess showcased the actions taken by the ALSC to prevent cancer and help patients, noting that, thanks to a national fund, access to treatment was improved with 20,000 patients annually receiving radiotherapy and another 22.000 benefiting from free medicine.

She added that 320,000 women annually benefit from an early detection programme ensured by the ALSC, which also launches awareness raising campaigns in the media.

The reception was attended by Princesses Ghida Talal and Dina Mired of Jordan, Chairwoman and Director General of the King Hussein cancer foundation respectively.

Chairman of the UN General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz  Al-Nasser, the Maldives Vice President Mohamed Waheed, Togolese Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo, as well as several Foreign and Health Ministers, Ambassadors, senior officials from the UN and the World Health Organisation were also in attendance.

HRH Princess Lalla Salma in New York to take part in UN meeting on NCDs

New York - HRH Princess Lalla Salma arrived, on Monday, in the headquarters of the UN in New York to take part in the the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

RH the princess Lalla Salma, Chairwoman of the Lalla Salma Association for the Fight against Cancer (ALSLC), leads the Moroccan delegation to this important event that is held within the framework of the 66th UN General Assembly.

HRH the Princess, who is also Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Honorary President of the Alliance of Eastern Mediterranean NGOs for the fight against cancer, was accompanied by Health Minister Yasmina Badou, Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Mohamed Loulichki and executive director of the (ALSLC), Dr Rachid Bakkali.

Afterwards, HRH the Princess attended the opening of the high-level meeting which was marked by the speeches of the president of the 66th General Assembly session, the UN Secretary General, the WHO Secretary General and Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, Director General of King Hussein Foundation for the fight against, who addressed the meeting in her capacity as representative of the civil society.

The meeting will address the means to prevent and control NCDs worldwide, with a special focus on the social and economic challenges in developing countries.

The NCDs, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and chronic lung disease,  kill three people out of five of the world’s population.

According to figures released by the WHO, NCDs are to blame for the 36 million of the 57million deaths in 2008.