The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is urging world leaders to attend the bi-annual World Diabetes Congress in Dubai this December 4 to 8.

The Congress is expected to witness a record-breaking attendance and has already surpassed early registration targets identified after the World Diabetes Congress in Montreal in 2009, a statement said.

The event will see opinion leaders address how to tackle the diabetes epidemic in the wake of the UN High Level Meeting on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), on behalf of the 300 million people living with diabetes.

Participants will include representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Bank, representatives from the UN Summit on NCDs, and key government officials globally.

The movement to involve global political leaders in the Summit and its aftermath has already begun with the launch of IDF’s O is for Outrage campaign designed to secure US President Obama’s attendance at the UN High Level Meeting and influence other decision-makers to do the same.

“The growing concern to meet demands of the diabetes pandemic additionally provides the right context for IDF to magnify the political component of the World Diabetes Congress” said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, IDF president.

 “The Congress will provide the region with opportunities for open dialogue with the rest of the diabetes community, and encourage the sharing of knowledge and best practice”.

Dubai was chosen as a Congress destination due to the staggering increase of diabetes in the region. The UAE has the second highest diabetes prevalence globally and, if immediate action is not taken, over 20 per cent of the country’s population could be living with diabetes within a generation. – TradeArabia News Service