United Nations Resolution on Diabetes to be formally voted on this week

04 Dec 2006 13:59

The ‘Unite for Diabetes’ campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), today announced that a United Nations Resolution on diabetes has been tabled at the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Resolution is sponsored and supported by a growing coalition of countries, including Bangladesh, South Africa, Portugal, the Russian Federation and the United States. The Resolution will be formally voted on in the next few days. It is expected that the Resolution will be passed by consensus and there will be a United Nations Resolution on diabetes by the end of the year. This will be the first time a non-communicable disease will be recognized by Governments and, if passed World Diabetes Day will have official awareness at the UN.

“The IDF has declared war on diabetes. This Resolution will be of immense significance. It is the first time Governments around the world have recognized the severity of the diabetes epidemic” said Professor Martin Silink, Incoming IDF President. “For the first time ever a non-communicable disease will be recognized and Governments will work with diabetes stakeholders to defeat this epidemic. Up till now it has been the communicable diseases that have captured the major attention of the world’s governments despite non-communicable diseases accounting for over 60 percent of morbidity and mortality in the world.”

“The importance of the United Nations Resolution is that it will ask for November 14th to be observed as a United Nations World Day it also asks for all member states to establish national policies on the treatment prevention and care of diabetes,” said Silink.

The Unite for Diabetes Campaign also launched today an exciting multi-media campaign at www.unitefordiabetes.org to raise awareness of diabetes, to engage the public and governments to tackle the disease and to help support a United Nations Resolution on diabetes. These ground-breaking interactive elements launch at a crucial time for the Resolution and it is hoped they will focus the attention of a new audience on the diabetes epidemic.

The multi-media campaign takes a three pronged approach to spreading global awareness and support for the Unite for Diabetes campaign:

Show your support for the campaign (blog)
Throw your support for the campaign (flying circle)
Show and throw your support for the campaign (Geocaching)

Show your support (blog): Campaign supporters will be able to keep up-to-date with the Unite for Diabetes campaign’s progress through the eyes of Alex Chapman, Gabriela Reis Diccini and Dana Michelle Lewis, Youth Ambassadors for the IDF. Messages of support for the campaign can also be posted on the blog.

Throw your support (flying circle): More than just encouraging people to get together to enjoy a game of Frisbee, the flying circles campaign encourages people to share their support for the Unite for Diabetes campaign by passing on a flying circle to their friends. The flying circles hold a key fact about the global burden of diabetes and encourage recipients to log on to the flying circles website and post messages of support for the Unite for Diabetes campaign and track the progress of the flying circles, and the message they symbolize, around the world.

Show and throw your support (Geocaching): Geocaching is a treasure hunt that requires people to use a global positioning system (GPS) to search for buried containers, known as ‘caches’, that are hidden around the world by other treasure hunters, or ‘cachers’. By tapping into the existing geocaching network supporters will be able to hide, seek and track customized Unite for Diabetes Travel Bugs in caches around the world, bringing the call for a UN Resolution to a new audience.

“Diabetes affects everyone and we need the public’s support to get governments to act now. These new multi-media elements use unconventional means to reach a broader audience and helps to bring diabetes out of the shadows and onto the political and public agenda,” said Anne-Marie Felton, Chair of the Promotion and Awareness Group, UN Resolution on diabetes, Chair of Federation of Nurses in Diabetes.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the campaign

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is the lead sponsor for the Resolution on diabetes. The Resolution encourages UN Member States to develop national policies for the treatment, care and prevention of diabetes within the sustainable development of their healthcare systems and asks for a UN-observed World Diabetes Day on 14 November starting in 2007. The ‘Unite for Diabetes’ campaign asks all nations to support the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and vote in favour of a UN Resolution on diabetes.
The campaign encourages everyone to show support for the Resolution by signing a global petition and by forwarding a virtual diabetes pin (www.unitefordiabetes.org) to friends and family, and in turn inviting them to show the same support. The diabetes pin takes the form of a blue circle in the colour of the UN flag. It is the logo for the ‘Unite for Diabetes’ campaign and is a tribute to the millions of people living with diabetes worldwide.

About diabetes

Diabetes is devastating communities around the world. More than 240 million people now live with a disease that kills over 3.5 million people each year. Despite the growing numbers and threat to life, many remain ignorant. Each year 7 million people get diabetes, joining the more than 240 million people now living with the disease. Diabetes kills more people each year than HIV/AIDS and impacts all nations, rich and poor.

The world needs a UN Resolution on diabetes. While the problem is global, its full dimension and impact remain unrecognized, particularly in the world’s low- and middle-income nations. For these countries, cheap life-saving treatments are available and would be easy to distribute, but are rarely used. At the same time, much can be done to prevent diabetes in those at risk. The unified voice of the whole United Nations is needed to impress these facts upon the world.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Kerrita McClaughlyn, IDF Media Relations Coordinator (mobile +27-828-520-891, kerrita@idf.org).
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of over 190 member associations in more than 150 countries, representing millions of people with diabetes, their families, and their healthcare providers. The mission of the IDF is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. It does this through education for people with diabetes and healthcare professionals, public awareness campaigns and the promotion of the free exchange of diabetes knowledge. IDF leads the ‘Unite for Diabetes’ campaign. For information about the campaign visit www.unitefordiabetes.org

This event and campaign elements are supported by a grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme.

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