Cancer is a growing global health challenge, requiring targeted actions to strengthen health systems and scale up national cancer control plans. Population-based cancer registries (PBCR) are essential to these efforts yet are established in fewer than one-third of countries. To address this critical gap, the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) was launched in 2012 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as the first coordinated global programme dedicated to cancer surveillance. This presentation will open the session on cancer surveillance by providing an overview of the GICR programme, inlcuding its approach to capcity building and its aims to improve the availability, quality, and use of PBCR data to inform cancer control strategies. Examples of global goods will be highlighted in the areas of knowledge translation, electronic innovation and the development of the IARC-designated Regional Hubs and Centres of Expertise.