Accelerating action on commitments to improve diabetes detection and quality of care

High-Level Technical Summit co-organized by International Diabetes Federation Europe and WHO/Europe

Belgrade, 29 November 2023 

Despite significant progress in diabetes prevention and care, the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise and health outcomes for people living with diabetes are not improving in line with innovation. The figures are alarming:

• In the WHO European Region, WHO estimates that at least 64 million adults over 18 years live with diabetes.
• The number of people living with diabetes in the Region continues to rise. By 2030, IDF estimates the prevalence of diabetes will be 67 million (20-79 year olds) and that by 2045, almost one in 10 Europeans could have diabetes as populations age and obesity rates climb.
• An estimated one third of people living with diabetes in the Region remain undiagnosed and some sources suggest that up to half do not achieve their treatment targets.
• The WHO European Region has the highest burden of type 1 diabetes globally, including the highest number of children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (295,000) and the highest incidence annually (31,000).

• The current situation is placing a huge social and economic burden on individuals, societies and healthcare systems, including reduced quality of life, loss of productivity and high cost of treatment.
• Diabetic retinopathy the most preventable cause of vision impairment and blindness in the working-age population in the Region.  

Elevating diabetes on the political agenda

To address the pressing need for improving diabetes detection, diagnosis, quality of care and the prevention of complications, WHO/Europe and the International Diabetes Federation Europe (IDF Europe) will convene a High-Level Technical Summit on “Accelerating action on commitments to improve diabetes detection and quality of care” on November 28-29 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Summit will gather national health authority representatives, experts from WHO Europe and IDF Europe, European national diabetes associations and people living with diabetes to elevate diabetes on the political agenda and accelerate action to deliver on existing commitments.

What is the scale of the problem in the WHO European Region?

Diabetes is chronic disease AND a risk factor for many other NCDs such as cardiovascular disease and other conditions.

Diabetes is a hugely complex disease, which requires 24/7 management on the part of people living with the condition. It effects every organ in the human body and requires a joined-up, holistic and person-centred approach to achieve best outcomes. Many people living with diabetes develop health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes retinopathy, and in many countries diabetes is responsible for over 40% of new cases of end stage renal disease.

What political action has been taken to date?

In recent years, a growing political momentum began to reflect the urgent need to address the burden of diabetes. Several initiatives were launched, and commitments made, including the WHO Global Diabetes Compact (2021), the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution for reducing the burden of NCDs (2021), the Global Targets for Diabetes at the 75^th WHA (2022) and the new European Parliament Diabetes Resolution (2022). These commitments have been overshadowed by a series of emergencies most notably the COVID-19 pandemic but also wars, natural disasters and rising poverty and inequality.

Strengthening diabetes care to withstand shocks

These emergencies have tested the resilience of health systems and ultimately exposed how ill-equipped they are to effectively manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes. With its complexity and interplay with other conditions, the prevention, management and care of diabetes are clear markers of health systems’ resilience.

Accelerating action on commitments to improve diabetes detection and quality of care is therefore key not only to improve the lives of people living with diabetes and other NCDs but also to improve population health and to ensure that our health systems are equipped to provide timely, equal, affordable and uninterrupted care for all citizens. People with diabetes can live independent and healthy lives only if they have access to quality care including medication and technologies.

The upcoming Summit will be instrumental in accelerating progress by recalling existing commitments; reviewing progress against the Global Diabetes Targets; presenting evidence-based interventions; empowering and engaging people living with diabetes to drive outcomes and recommendations that reflect their needs; and producing an outcome statement to serve as an advocacy tool and a call to deliver on the agreed commitments and goals.

Relevant links:

• International Diabetes Federation Europe
• IDF Diabetes Atlas
• WHO Regional Office for Europe work on diabetes
• WHO Global report on diabetes
• Living with diabetes – Alexandra's story
• Managing diabates while fleeing from war – Artur's story

For more information, case studies and interview requests, please contact:

• Sabine Dupont, IDF Europe Director, Strategy and Policy, sabine.dupont@idf-europe.org
• Maebh Ní Fhallúin, WHO Regional Office for Europe, nim@who.int