World Cancer Day and UICC’s “I Am and I Will” Campaign
World Cancer Day, on 4 February, is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). From 2019 to 2021 its campaign “I Am and I Will” asked each person to finish a sentence about what they would do about cancer. The lesson: a global day travels further when it hands people a simple, fill-in-the-blank promise they can make their own.
About World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day falls every year on 4 February. It was established on 4 February 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris, where the Charter of Paris against cancer was signed. UICC leads the day and describes it as a day to raise awareness, encourage prevention and rally action against the global cancer burden. UICC runs three-year themes: “I Am and I Will” (2019 to 2021), “Close the care gap” (2022 to 2024) and “United by Unique” (2025 to 2027), which centres people and their stories in cancer care. UICC asks member organisations to run local campaigns under the global message and invites individuals to take part through the World Cancer Day website.
This article is part of the healthcare PR and communications series, best read in order from the pillar.
“I Am and I Will”: a personal pledge for a global day
| Campaign | I Am and I Will |
| Organisation | Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) |
| Agency | Not named in UICC’s reports, so not listed |
| Year and country | 2019 to 2021, global |
| Linked health day | World Cancer Day, 4 February |
| Timed to the day? | Yes |
| Channels | Member organisation events, social media, press, landmark lighting, campaign website |
| Headline result | 2019: 947 activities in 127 countries, 741,936 social mentions (UICC-reported) |
| Recognition | No award verified, so none listed |
The problem it had to solve
Cancer often feels too big for one person to affect. The campaign was built to challenge the belief that nothing can be done about cancer and show that personal action makes a difference. There was also a practical problem: UICC is a federation. It needed one idea that hundreds of member groups, in very different health systems and languages, could run locally without losing the global thread.
The idea in one line
Everyone has a role: say who you are, then say what you will do.
How it worked
- An open sentence. “I am” lets a patient, nurse, parent, minister or smoker name themselves. “I will” turns that into a commitment, from getting screened to pushing for policy change. The structure works in any language.
- Three years, one theme. 2019 launched it, 2020 was the second year and 2021 the final year. Repetition let members build on the same assets instead of starting again.
- Local events on a shared map. Members registered activities on a map of activities, which made the global scale visible.
- Landmarks and leaders. Cities lit landmarks, and governments were asked to engage on the day.
Results
All figures come from UICC’s own impact reporting, so treat them as self-reported reach, not outcomes.
- 2019: 947 activities in 127 countries, 15,810 press articles in 154 countries, 741,936 social media mentions, 300,360 unique website visits, 62 governments participating and 55 landmarks lit in 37 cities.
- 2020: close to 1,000 events in over 100 countries, at least 65 government leaders engaged, 52 cities lighting landmarks, nearly 15,000 press articles and broadcasts, and over half a million website visitors.
- 2021: over 840 activities and events in 116 countries registered on the map, in a year shaped by the pandemic.
None of these numbers tell us whether more people got screened, quit tobacco or got treated earlier because of the campaign. That is normal for a global awareness day, but it is worth saying.
What makes it stand out
- A template, not a slogan. “I am… and I will…” invites people to finish the line, so every post is both on-brand and personal.
- Works for every stakeholder. The same frame fits a survivor, an oncologist, a health minister and a company.
- Built for a federation. Members could localise the language and the ask without breaking the global identity.
- Multi-year patience. Three years on one theme gave recall time to build, which one-year themes rarely achieve.
Criticism and limits
The main limit is measurement. UICC reports activities, press and mentions, which are outputs. There is no published link between the pledges and any change in cancer behaviour. The open-ended “I will” is also a weakness as well as a strength: when anyone can commit to anything, the ask can become vague, and a pledge with no follow-up is easy to forget. Finally, a personal-responsibility frame can sit awkwardly next to the fact that much cancer risk and access to care depends on systems, income and geography. UICC’s next theme, “Close the care gap”, addressed that directly, which reads to me like a deliberate correction.
Would it pass in India today?
The idea itself is clean. A pledge campaign on a global health day is health education and a greeting on a recognised day, both allowed under clause 8.2 of the NMC 2026 guidelines. The risk comes in execution. A hospital that fills its “I am” posts with its own patients (“I am a survivor treated here”) would be using patient stories for promotion, barred by clauses 8.1(ii) and 8.1(v), and consent would not cure it (clause 6.2). Doctors’ own pledges in their own names are fine. Any AI-generated pledge posters must be labelled (clause 7.2), and a pledge form that collects names or phone numbers needs DPDP-compliant consent.
See the campaign: UICC: World Cancer Day 2019 ignites action
What an Indian hospital can borrow for World Cancer Day
- Low (under Rs 1 lakh): staff pledge wall. Channel: Instagram, LinkedIn, lobby display. Oncologists, nurses and screening staff each complete one line about a concrete action, such as explaining a screening test to every visitor that week. Compliance: doctors speak in their own names (clause 8.2 of the NMC 2026 guidelines); no patient names or photos.
- Mid (Rs 1 to 10 lakh): “I will get checked” reminder. Channel: WhatsApp opt-in plus a landing page with factual screening information and charges. People choose a reminder date for a screening conversation. Compliance: factual service and price information is allowed (clauses 8.3 and 9.1); explicit DPDP consent for reminders; no “best cancer hospital” language (clauses 8.1(iii) and 8.1(ix)).
- High (above Rs 10 lakh): city landmark plus community camps. Channel: civic partnership for lighting a landmark, local press, and screening awareness sessions with an NGO. Compliance: share UICC’s global message, keep claims factual under ASCI guidelines, and keep the hospital as host, not hero.
Related reading
- Iconic Health Campaigns: the full series
- Health awareness days calendar for India
- Hospital social media marketing
- NMC advertising guidelines 2026, explained
Sources
- Wikipedia: World Cancer Day
- UICC: World Cancer Day
- UICC: World Cancer Day 2019 ignites action
- UICC: World Cancer Day 2020 impact report released
- UICC: World Cancer Day 2021 impact report
Questions people ask
“United by Unique”, UICC’s three-year theme for 2025 to 2027. It focuses on people-centred cancer care, with each person’s story and needs shaping how care is given.
It was established on 4 February 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris, with the signing of the Charter of Paris. The Union for International Cancer Control leads it.
It gave people a sentence to complete rather than a slogan to repeat, so it worked for patients, carers, doctors and governments in any language. Running it for three years let member groups build on the same idea, and UICC reported activities in more than 100 countries each year.
Share UICC’s theme, publish factual screening information, let doctors speak in their own names and offer opt-in reminders. Avoid patient success stories and “best” claims, which India’s NMC 2026 guidelines restrict.
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