The expansion of the membership in other continents such as Asia, Africa, Latin-America, and other countries such as Lebanon, Brazil, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, has spurred OECI to launch OECIWORLD, an initiative that can enable the OECI Associate Members Type B* to easily participate in OECI activities, define joint programmes and access to international funding sources.

The establishment of this Network of cancer centres and institutes belonging to EU countries is included in the Strategic Programme of the OECI Presidency 2023-2026.

The first meeting of OECIWORLD took place on September 10-12 2024 at Villa Verganti-Veronesi in Inveruno (Milan) and was attended by representatives from Lebanon, Jordan, Chile, Brazil, Tanzania, Ukraine, Moldova, Türkiye, Algeria, and China.

The representatives from Colombia and Viet Nam didn’t attend but the National Cancer Institute of Colombia and the Viet Nam National Cancer Hospital are both included in the Network, which is open to other candidates that will declare the interest to participate.

By the end of the meeting, all participants signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formally agree on the OECIWORLD Programme and the constitution of the Network: the document underlines the importance of this challenge and opportunity for qualitative growth of the OECI collaboration with its non-EU Members.

The focal points of OECIWORLD Programme are:

• Promote the concept of quality in their institutions
• Access, where possible, the OECI Accreditation and Designation Programme
• Define new certification models adapted to local contexts
• Create new bilateral collaborations between European and extra-European institutes
• Develop projects on international financing funds
• Collaborate in the establishment of new oncology networks that bring together specific countries on a continent tailored on the OECI model
• Support the adoption of national cancer plans
• Support the concept of patient as a recipient of the best treatment opportunities notwithstanding his/her residency
• Bring OECI and institutes from other continents closer to the WHO and IARC programmes.

*The Associated Members Type B are those cancer centres/institutes that do not fulfil the conditions provided for in Article 4 of EEC Regulation n° 2137/85 of 25 July, 1985 on the creation of a European Economic Interest Grouping. Are therefore excluded Members in the European Economic Area (EEA) + UK and Switzerland.