UN Resolution on diabetes
At the Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Washington DC on 10 June 2006, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) launched its worldwide campaign ‘Unite for Diabetes’, which aimed to drive a United Nations (UN) Resolution on diabetes and to make World Diabetes Day (14 November) a UN-observed day before World Diabetes Day 2007. In the process, the awareness campaign aimed to reach 1 billion people with messages about diabetes.
An international observance is a day set aside to observe an issue of international interest or concern. Currently, the UN has only three days dedicated to health: tuberculosis, mental health and HIV/AIDS. Because observances recognised by the UN promote awareness and mobilise for action, a World Diabetes Day recognised by the UN would help focus the world's attention on the need to stop the growing diabetes pandemic.
Novo Nordisk has played an active role in this campaign to call for a worldwide change, and contributed in September 2006 by launching a Changing Diabetes Bus world tour to raise awareness of diabetes. The bus has already visited Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and South Africa, and will be travelling through Australia in January 2007.
Focus on children and youth
Novo Nordisk’s support for the campaign is specifically focused on the needs of children and youth, their families and social networks. This involves children who already have diabetes as well as those who are particularly at risk of developing diabetes in the future. We are currently working on a special report, a diabetes Youth Charter (to be published by April 2007), that will document the issues faced by children with diabetes in countries around the world. Through the Novo Nordisk Youth Panel we will work to give youth a voice. Finally, a new global DAWN Youth initiative will be launched in 2007 to lead national efforts to change the lives of young people with diabetes.
Access to diabetes treatment
On 20 December 2006, just six months after the launch of 'UNite for Diabetes', the General Assembly of the UN adopted, by consensus, the Resolution on diabetes. In this way, all nations have recognised the severity of the worldwide diabetes pandemic and committed to urgently dealing with it.
As a result, the UN has designated the current World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2007, and is encouraging Member States to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes in line with the sustainable development of their healthcare systems.
Novo Nordisk will continue to take an active leadership role in implementing the UN Resolution on diabetes by ensuring action and by encouraging the UN Member States to establish national policies on the treatment, prevention and care of diabetes.
In addition, in our efforts to explore practical ways of redefining healthcare around the needs of people with diabetes, we will establish high-level groups of experts to facilitate new solutions for change and drive better health outcomes for people with diabetes.
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