n May 2017, the cancer resolution (WHA70.12) adopted at the Seventieth World Health Assembly requested WHO, in collaboration with IARC, to produce a comprehensive global report providing evidence-based public health- and policy-oriented guidance on cancer for WHO Member States. The outcome of this charge is the WHO Report on Cancer: Setting priorities, investing wisely and providing care for all. The WHO report complements the IARC World Cancer Report by synthesizing evidence to translate the latest knowledge into actionable policies to support governments to prevent and control cancer globally. These two complementary publications, launched jointly by WHO and IARC, will each contribute to an increased awareness, both professionally and in the wider community, of the lives affected by cancer, and what may be done, is being done, and should be done to decrease the impact of this disease.