According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer claims over 680,000 lives annually and is the number one or two cause of female cancer deaths in 95% of the world. It is also the number one cancer among women of working age, which impacts economies and communities. In fact, investing in women's health means investing in economies and societies around the world – if the global gender workforce gap were to be fully closed, it could add as much as $28 trillion to the global GDP by 2025. Without healthy women as the cornerstone, societies fail – yet policymakers around the world do not prioritize breast cancer relative to its impact on populations. This session will explore meaningful insights from key global leaders across different areas of expertise to discuss how we can elevate breast cancer as a global policy priority and identify impactful, tangible steps to catalyze change at the global, national and local levels. How can we take action on breast cancer, help advance economic growth, gender equality and ensure the sustainability of our health systems? How can governments bridge the gaps between the quality of breast cancer care found across countries – as well as within countries – to improve care for everyone? And how can we ensure these initiatives are tangible, sustainable and impacting real-world change?

AstraZeneca is a 2024 Concordia Annual Summit Lead Programming Sponsor.