World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day 2026
Tuesday 17 November 2026
World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day on 17 November supports the global effort to expand access to prevention, screening, treatment and care.
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Dates and event details
Tuesday 17 November 2026. Held every year on 17 November.
| Date status | Date source-confirmed for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Date-check source | World Health Organization |
| Where | International |
About World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day
World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day takes place on 17 November 2026. This official World Health Organization observance brings attention to the global effort to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. It highlights access to HPV vaccination, cervical screening, treatment and care, alongside the experiences of women and communities.
When is World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day?
The annual date is 17 November. It marks the anniversary of the launch of WHO’s global elimination strategy in 2020. Member States formally established the world health day in 2025 through resolution WHA78.8. Earlier editions of the movement were described as Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action.
The official 2026 campaign page uses the call Together We Can Eliminate Cervical Cancer, which WHO says will support the movement from 2026 through 2030. This November observance has its own identity, separate from Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and national screening campaigns.
Planning workplace communications
Keep participation voluntary. A workplace message can signpost trusted information without asking employees to disclose their screening, vaccination or medical history. If your organisation has a relevant appointment or wellbeing policy, explain where colleagues can find it and whom they can contact with a private question.
Prepare materials in readable language and consider alternative formats. Give a named team responsibility for checking local health links before publication. Avoid designing a message that depends on a poster image alone; include the essential information as text.
What does elimination mean?
WHO’s strategy is directed at eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem. Its global targets for 2030 are commonly described as 90–70–90: vaccination coverage for girls, screening coverage for women, and treatment for those with cervical disease. The targets provide a shared framework for countries’ progress; they are not a substitute for individual advice or national eligibility rules.
WHO’s cervical cancer fact sheet explains that HPV vaccination, screening and timely treatment are central to prevention and care. National services set their own programme details, so local communications should direct people to the current information for their country.
How organisations can mark the day
Choose an activity that helps your audience find reliable information or understand the wider campaign. These are suggested planning ideas to adapt with appropriate local expertise:
- Share a clear resource guide. Bring together official information about the campaign and relevant local services. Check that links work and that readers can tell which country each resource applies to.
- Host a conversation with a suitable professional. Agree the audience and questions in advance, and provide a way for people to ask general questions privately.
- Highlight an access improvement. Explain a verified change made by a service or community organisation, including who was involved and what remains to be done.
- Use a respectful display. Present a short explanation of the day with an official campaign link. If using personal stories or photographs, obtain permission for the precise proposed use.
Working with lived experience
WHO’s campaign recognises the contribution of women and communities. When inviting someone to contribute their experience, let them decide which parts they wish to share. Agree whether a session will be recorded, whether their name will appear online and how they can review quotations or images.
Build in time to discuss these choices before the event. A contributor should not have to explain their personal circumstances in order to help with the campaign. Where you commission a speaker, agree preparation, access requirements and payment as part of the invitation.
Official information
The date, campaign call and background were checked against WHO sources on 23 October 2026. Use the official campaign page for current resources and national health services for local programme information. Activities described here are editorial planning suggestions.
