At the 2025 Annual Concordia Summit during the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, it was my honour to moderate the mainstage dialogue on Repaying the Debt to Women: Advancing Equity in Cancer Care, convened with the leadership of AstraZeneca.

With the introductory address delivered by Mohit Manrao, Senior Vice President and Head of US Oncology at AstraZeneca, I was privileged to moderate and share this platform with H.E. Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica, and Dr. Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners In Health, two distinguished leaders whose insights illuminate both the moral imperative and the actionable pathways before us.

The newly launched Breast Cancer Care Quality Index (BCCQI), to which I had the privilege of contributing to as an AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Care Council Member, offers governments, policymakers, and partners a practical framework of measurable solutions, from ensuring that cancers are detected at earlier stages, to embedding timely, comprehensive treatment and survivorship with dignity into national cancer control plans.

Throughout our conversation, we affirmed that closing the cancer equity gap for women is not merely a health priority, it is a matter of justice. With evidence-based indicators, the Index demonstrates how we can move decisively from aspiration to accountability, ensuring that every woman, everywhere, receives the care she both needs and deserves.