50 DAYS TO GO TO WORLD DIABETES DAY

Activity spotlight: planned events around the world

World Diabetes Day - 14 November - is now just 50 days away. Dedicated individuals and associations all over the world are hard at work, planning awareness activities to mark the day and once again putting diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. Here's a snapshot of some of the events that will be taking place in support of the campaign:

• In Barbados, the Barbados Diabetes Foundation in association with the Diabetes Association of Barbados will be holding their annual Diabetes Global Village on 11-12 November. The event will offer a variety of services aimed primarily at people with the diabetes and their families but is open to all and will provide valuable diabetes awareness on the island.
   
• In the Dominican Republic, the Fundación Dominicana de Endocrinología y Diabetes (FUNDOMED) will be organising its 4th course aimed at providing general practitioners and other health professionals with the necessary information and tools to effectively diagnose and manage people with diabetes. The courses target health professionals from all over the country and look to ensure that diabetes education reaches the majority of the country's medical community.
   
• In Kygyzstan, HelpAge International in collaboration with, among others, the Diabetic Association of Kyrgyzstan, will be organising a large World Diabetes Day celebration in the country's capital Bishkek. Activities will include public screenings for diabetes and its complications throughout the capital, an awareness walk that will end at the National Parliament and a diabetes awareness seminar involving people with diabetes, health professionals and other representatives of the scientific community. One of the highlights of the celebrations will be the lighting in blue of the prominent Manas Statue in the centre of Bishkek.
   
• In India, three young adventure-seekers from Bahrain will be raising diabetes awareness and supporting World Diabetes Day by taking part in "The Rickshaw Run" charity race, a 3500km journey from Shillong, Meghalaya to Jaisalmar, Rajasthan taking place in September. The Blue Camels, as they have called themselves, will join 40 other teams in attempting to complete the course using only a rickshaw and their common sense. The three will be the first representatives of an Arab state to take part in the event and hope to strengthen diabetes awareness between the country with the highest number of people with diabetes (India) and the region with the highest prevalence of the disease (the Arab Gulf states).
   
• In Saudi Arabia, awareness celebrations will be held in shopping malls throughout the country in November, consisting of diabetes screenings, the distribution of essential diabetes supplies for people with diabetes to effectively manage their condition, competitions for children aimed at promoting the diabetes blue circle logo and general diabetes awareness for the wider community.

If you have an activity planned and would like to share it with the global diabetes community, make sure to submit your information. All events will shortly be featured on the World Diabetes Day website and highlights will continue to be showcased in this newsletter in the weeks leading up to 14 November.

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Blue monument challenge: latest confirmed lightings

The 2011 edition of the Blue Monument Challenge, one of the main campaign initiatives aimed at attracting the general public's attention to the global diabetes epidemic, continues to gather momentum. Here are the latest monuments and buildings around the world that have confirmed that they will be lighting in blue in November:

• Arco de la Calzada, Guanajuato A.C., Ciudad de León, Mexico
• Century Tower, Florida, USA
• Havering Town Hall, Romford, Essex, UK
• Jet d'Eau, Geneva, Switzerland
• Manas Statue, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• La Techada, Capilla del Monte, Argentina
• Soldiers and  Sailors Monument, Indianapolis, USA
• Texas Diabetes Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

This year we are encouraging blue lightings to be associated with the promotion of the International Diabetes Federation's International Charter for the Rights and Responsibilities of People with Diabetes - a landmark document aimed at stopping all discrimination that people living with diabetes currently face. If you succeed in confirming a blue lighting, make sure to send all the details to wdd@idf.org. A full list of confirmed lightings will shortly be available on www.worlddiabetesday.org.

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Unite for a Healthy Future in New York this Sunday, 18 September

The landmark United Nations Summit on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) is less than a week away. If you can make it to the New York area, join IDF and its partners in the NCD Alliance this Sunday 18 September at the New York Academy of Medicine and support the fight against cancer, diabetes, heart and chronic respiratory disease.

To celebrate the Summit, taking place on 19-20 September, the Alliance and civil society leaders are organizing an afternoon rally to raise awareness that Non-communicable Diseases are the leading killers today and are still on the rise.

Join us with family and friends to promote healthy lifestyles and show global leaders and the rest of the world that we demand healthy environments and concrete commitments in tackling the NCD epidemic.

The afternoon will consist of a series of fun-filled activities that include:

• A cycling event led by Phil Southerland and Team Type 1, during which members of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will cycle through Central Park.
• Leading artists living with diabetes and other NCDs will create a mural dedicated to the Summit.
• An introduction to the basic principles of Tai Chi
• A Caribbean Carnival in support of NCDs that will include a 'Socamotion' (dance/exercise) exhibition.

Feel like taking part? Find out more and register your attendance at unite@ncdalliance.org

Want to learn more about the Summit and the growing health crisis represented by diabetes and other NCDs? Tune in to the live webcast of a conference that the Washington Post will be broadcasting today 14 September involving leading public health experts from aroundthe world, including Ann Keeling, IDF CEO. The webcast starts at 8:30am EDT (14:30 CET).

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Campaign news

'Act on Diabetes. Now' participative video campaign

We will shortly be announcing the winning video from our 'Act on Diabetes. Now.' participative video platform. The prize is a free registration to the World Diabetes Congress in Dubai in December. If you haven't already done so, cast your vote today or submit your 2 to 10 second video before 14 November showing how you are acting on diabetes.

Promotional materials

Visit the World Diabetes Day website  to see what materials we have available to help you raise diabetes awareness and promote the campaign in your area. Our five 2011 campaign posters are currently available for download in 8 languages - insert link - with several more to be posted soon. You can also request print copies in English, French and Spanish by contacting wdd@idf.org.

Merchandise

Blue bracelets, pins, flags and waist measuring tapes are among the items that you can order from our online shop to promote the campaign and raise awareness of the blue circle, the global symbol of the fight against diabetes.

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Follow the campaign

• Facebook: share your thoughts and engage with the over 12,000 fans on our World Diabetes Day pages.
• Twitter: regular updates on campaign news and key messages.
• Youtube: see our awareness videos and share your own on our WDD Channel as 14 November approaches. Our 'Act on Diabetes. Now.' animated video is now also available in Chinese.

This newsletter will now be sent out every 10 days in the lead-up to 14 November. The next newsletter will be published on 24 September.

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