The Director General has established the PACT Programme Office (PPO)1 as of 1 December 2005, as part of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. Mr. Massoud Samiei is appointed as Head of the PPO, which is tasked with addressing the challenge of the growing need for cancer treatment in developing countries.
The PPO will coordinate a single unified programme for fundraising and delivery of projects to Member States for cancer-related activities, including those undertaken by the IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications (NA) and the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation (TC). The programme will place particular emphasis on radiation technology, such as diagnosis and treatment with nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. It will seek to develop a holistic approach to cancer prevention, control and treatment with the Secretariat and with other organizations, and will operate through advocacy, support building, fundraising and the mobilization of resources.
The PPO will take the lead in coordinating interactions on all relevant aspects of the Secretariat's cancer-related activities with external stakeholders — including Member States, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
The details on establishing PACT Programme Office are outlined in the SEC/NOT/2048.
1 In June 2004, the Board of Governors approved the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) and requested the Director General to “implement, subject to availability of resources, the elements of PACT” (GOV/2004/39). The rationale for PACT is based on the need to create a unifying vision and operational framework, including coordinated internal and external management and communication processes, for all Agency cancer investments and activities, so that these can achieve maximum public health impact in developing Member States, and further facilitate donor interest and commitment to placing cancer on the global health agenda.
On 30 September 2005, the General Conference adopted a new resolution GC(49)/RES/12 [pdf] on PACT that requested the Director General to “continue to advocate, build support and allocate and mobilize resources for the implementation of PACT as one of the priorities of the Agency.”