First Lady Erdoğan attends event within 4th UN High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases

First Lady Emine Erdoğan attended a side event held under the theme of “A Global Movement to Increase the Survival of Children with Cancer and Other Devastating Diseases and to Ease Their Suffering” within the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing.

Making a speech at the event, First Lady Erdoğan voiced her pleasure over attending this noteworthy meeting on childhood cancers, and said: “While the survival rate in high income countries is around 80 per cent, it has decreased to 5 per cent in low income countries. However, all children should have the equal hope for life. In this sense, I find the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer’s goal to increase the survival rate of global childhood cancer to at least 60 per cent by 2030 and to reduce everyone’s suffering to be very valuable. We as Türkiye are proud of being among the countries that support this project.”

Underscoring that they, on the other hand, remain far away from this goal especially in war zones, Mrs. Erdoğan noted that the 60 per cent of the deaths from childhood cancer occur in armed conflict zones, and added: “36 hospitals have been bombed, set on fire or rendered unusable in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. The hospitals, where people try to hold on to life in a hope, have been turned into mass graves. This is a merciless crime against humanity. While every child in conflict zones is in the front line of disadvantaged groups, our consciences cannot bear the sufferings of children fighting cancer and devastating diseases. They cannot receive treatment, they cannot access medication and they are torn from life right before our eyes. Yet every child is the own child of the family of the humanity. It is a fact that the world owes every child in Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine and in all the conflict zones a life worthy of human dignity. With these thoughts, I wish for the humanity to unite in a shared conscience that can say, ‘Children first!’ under all circumstances.”