THE BLUE CIRCLE 

UNIVERSAL SYMBOL OF AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DIABETES

Logos and symbols are designed to express powerful concepts. They are a visual representation of ideas, thoughts and everything worth fighting for; companies and organisations use their logos to convey their values and heritage. As symbols of tradition and strength, a logo is used to create unique relationships with an audience, to unite people and build a sense of community.

The Blue Circle is the universal symbol for diabetes: it signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the rising number of people living with the condition. The Blue Circle icon was originally developed for the campaign that resulted in the adoption of the United Nations Resolution on diabetes in 2006. The blue colour reflects the sky that unites all nations and is the colour of the United Nations flag; the circle symbolizes life and health, and most significantly, unity. 

People living with diabetes (PwD) have been using the Blue Circle to represent their community. The Blue Circle is not just a logo or a symbol, it helps PwD feel seen and heard, create bonds, connect voices and hearts all over the world. It comforts people during difficult times when living with a chronic condition can make you feel left behind. 

For the diabetes community, the Blue Circle means unity, solidarity, alliance. IDF Europe encourages everyone to use this symbol to raise awareness of diabetes and show support to the millions of people living with diabetes across the world.

One hundred years after the discovery of insulin, let’s celebrate this landmark and make the Blue Circle instantly recognisable!

IDF EUROPE YOUTH PLATFORM

Summer updates on IDF Europe’s Youth Leadership Lab

After a summer break, youth advocates from across Europe reconvened virtually in late August to learn about various aspects of advocacy work such as institutional and grassroots advocacy. IDF Europe also presented its key messages and target stakeholders as well as its main thought leadership pieces and other advocacy materials.

Earlier in the programme, YLL participants completed a module on project management, learning how to balance priorities, manage their time and create campaigns. A lesson on creativity was provided by Medtronic, which presented its Blue Balloon Challenge.

During the advocacy session, the young leaders listened to presentations from João-Filipe Raposo, Medical Director of the Portuguese Diabetes Association (APDP), Ana Špoljarić, a diabetes grassroots activist from Croatia, and Alina Chebes, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at IDF Europe.

Click here to learn more about the last sessions of the Youth Leadership Lab! 

IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Campaign

As part of our Centenary of Insulin campaign, we are releasing national factsheets presenting key facts about diabetes care, with the purpose of raising awareness and enabling policymakers to make better decisions when it comes to diabetes care. To support the factsheets, Presidents or Board Members of National Diabetes Associations, members of IDF Europe, share their views about the situation in their countries, highlighting some of the recent achievements, the role of their association and the gaps and challenges that still need to be addressed. Young advocates from our YOURAH network are also sharing their personal stories and experiences about access to diabetes care and education in their countries. 

Follow this link to read the new factsheets for Lithuania, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

We thank our Members and those young advocates who have participated in our campaign. We look forward to more discussions with our network over the next few months!

The individual country profiles from our Diabetes & COVID-19 survey for Italy and Ireland are now available on our website.

We will continue to publish more country profiles as they become available to highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of PwD across Europe.

SAVE THE DATE! IDF Europe Symposium at EASD, Monday, 27th September from 14:30–15:45

Today, digitalisation is transforming diabetes care, perhaps more rapidly than any other therapeutic area. The use of data is reshaping diabetes prevention and care, and is transforming the relationship between PwD and their healthcare professionals (HCPs). Digitalisation has the potential to improve health outcomes, accelerate research and inform policymaking. However, the use and sharing of data can give rise to challenges and ethical questions, regarding, for example, data access, privacy, and ownership.

During the IDF Europe Symposium at EASD, a panel composed of PwD, HCPs and representatives from academia, industry and health authorities will discuss the rationale and prerequisites for data sharing and use. They will explore how divergent interests can, at times, converge to promote PwD engagement and drive holistic changes that benefit PwD and other stakeholders. 

Join us on Monday, September 27 from 14:30 to 15:45!

SAVE THE DATE! IDF Europe event on World Diabetes Day

IDF Europe will hold its World Diabetes Day (WDD) symposium on November 16 at 12:00-13:15 CET.  The webinar will be hosted by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, MMD Co-Chair and MEP Marisa Matias. Aligned with IDF WDD theme, the webinar is titled “Access to diabetes care – If not now, when? How are digital technologies and AI improving access to diabetes care?”. Guest speakers will highlight the critical role of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence in supporting equitable and sustainable access to quality diabetes care. They will explore the need to rethink how care is delivered, moving from reactive to proactive care delivery, and towards more individualised care.

Registration will open soon!

Are you living with Type 2 Diabetes? We would love to hear from you!

Are you living with Type 2 Diabetes and based in Europe? You welcome advice but believe that you should have the final say because you are the one who knows best about your needs, wishes and hopes? You don’t want diabetes to take over your life but you want to make sure that everything is done to improve your care and quality of life? 

We would love to hear from you! And to invite you to provide testimonials, participate in the establishment of a platform of people living with T2D and/or participate as a patient representative in EU-funded projects.

If you are interested, or know someone that may be, please contact Simona at simona.vitali@idf-europe.org!

Our team is growing!

We are delighted to introduce our new intern, Chiara Adorno, who joined the IDF Europe team in August. Chiara holds a degree in business and communication and will support IDF Europe’s communication efforts.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Lisa Dolan, former communication coordinator, who has decided to pursue a European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation at the Global Campus of Human Rights, and Pol Champion, former project coordinator, who left our team in August to pursue other professional opportunities. We wish them both the best of luck!

We are also delighted to announce that Alina Chebes (policy and advocacy), Maartje Roskams (youth and projects) and Simona Vitali (administration and communication), who until recently worked with IDF Europe as interns, have now joined the team permanently. 

Click here to meet the IDF Europe Regional Office.

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

In the second half of 2021, our Members have been very active and have undertaken a wide range of initiatives to raise awareness of diabetes and of the challenges PwD face every day. 

The Slovenian Diabetes Association celebrates 65 years of its existence and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin

In addition to the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, this year also marks 65 years since the foundation and work of the Slovenian Diabetes Association (SLODA). The association planned a full range of activities covering the entire year, to celebrate these two important milestones. 

Click here to learn more. 

NEWS FROM EUROPE

WHO/Europe releases report on mechanisms for improving transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and health product

In July 2021, WHO/Europe released a report titled What is the evidence on legal measures to improve the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health products (World Health Assembly resolution WHA72.8)? on how to improve the transparency of markets for medicines and other health products in the European Region. The report was prompted by the debate over the respective roles of the public and private sector in the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Currently, the high price of certain medicines prevents some individuals in need from accessing vital medicines or leads to patients having to pay ‘out of pocket’, significantly increasing existing inequalities in access to care. For many of the 59 million PwD in Europe (one in 11 adults), access to care, supplies, technologies and medicines often only comes at a cost or is a function of where they live. The high costs of medicines and a lack of transparency over many aspects of the markets for pharmaceuticals not only jeopardise patients’ access to essential care but also prevent robust decision-making at the political level.

In this context, IDF Europe welcomes the Oslo Medicines Initiative on ‘better access to effective, novel, high-priced medicines – a new vision for collaboration between the public and private sectors’, a WHO/Europe-led initiative developed in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Norwegian Medicines Agency, which aims to provide a neutral platform for the public and private sectors to jointly discuss the most effective ways to deliver innovative and affordable medicines to patients. A series of webinars and technical sessions are taking place throughout 2021 to gather insights from relevant stakeholder groups across Europe. The meetings are supported by background documents on solidarity, transparency and sustainability of relations between governments and pharmaceutical companies. A final in-person meeting is expected to take place in June 2022. 

Click here to learn more. 

September 6-12, 2021, Global Week for Action on NCDs: Engaging Communities – People. Participation. Progress. 

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, diabetes, mental health conditions and many others, affect us all. They cause nearly 3 out of 4 deaths globally - and billions of people live with one or more NCDs, many of which are preventable.

Every year until the UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 2025, the Global Week for Action on NCDs seeks to raise awareness of NCD prevention and care and ensure action in reducing the NCD burden globally.

This year’s campaign focuses on the power of communities to co-create healthier societies and act with others on NCDs - “no action is too small; no voice is insignificant.” 

As mentioned by WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, in his statement at the launch of the Global Diabetes Compact, “Diabetes is the only major non-communicable disease for which the risk of dying early is going up, rather than down”. There is an urgent need for action!

IDF Europe will be actively supporting the campaign throughout the week. We will be sharing visual messages on social media highlighting the urgent need for action and calling for greater engagement and involvement of PwD at all levels. Alongside social media posts, in an upcoming news item, we will address the role of the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) as a powerful agent of change and empowerment. 

Follow us throughout the week!

WHO Regional Committee for Europe to discuss mental health issues and reinventing primary health care in its annual session

The 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC71) will run between 13-15 September 2021. Health ministers from 53 Member States, civil society and other relevant stakeholders will meet virtually to discuss existing health issues and set the course for future priorities. The discussions will centre around delivering the WHO European Programme of Work 2020 – 2025 (EPW) – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”, which was adopted last year. The session aims to reinvent primary care services and work on mental health issues in the form of the Mental Health Coalition. 

Primary care is often the first point of contact between PwD and HCPs, and much of the management of type 2 diabetes takes place there; despite the critical function of the primary care practitioners, the system is often under-resourced, under-funded and under-staffed, hindering the implementation of risk-reduction approaches and contributing to a higher disease burden for PwD. Primary care systems in Europe need to be strengthened, and WHO/Europe has a crucial role to play to nudge national policymakers to review national models of care with a focus on investment in primary care, underpinned by the upskilling of primary care professionals.

Another flagship initiative of the WHO European Programme of Work 2020 – 2025 is the Mental Health Coalition designed to promote mental health and improve mental health conditions. For PwD, the impact of the psychological burden of a life-long condition that requires round-the-clock management is huge. WHO/Europe must put the right framework in place to integrate mental health support in diabetes care and provide HCPs with the right tools to deal with the psychological aspect of the condition. 

IDF Europe, as the voice of PwD, their families and HCPs, will support all WHO/Europe’s efforts.

Click here to discover more. 

INNODIA & INNODIA HARVEST webinar on September 23, 2021

On September 23, INNODIA will host a public webinar for healthcare professionals, researchers in the field of diabetes, the diabetes community at large and other stakeholders interested in the topic. The webinar will be presented jointly by Prof. Mathieu (KU Leuven) and Prof. Peakman (Sanofi). INNODIA is an Innovative Medicines Initiative project, gathering 40 organisations, bringing their knowledge and experience towards one common goal: "To fight Type 1 Diabetes".

Click here to learn more. 

To register to the webinar, click here.

IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK

International Days are a great opportunity for IDF Europe to communicate on diabetes and to raise awareness. 

EU FUNDED PROJECTS

IDF Europe is delighted to be part of Digicare4You, a Horizon2020 project. Building on the Feel4Diabetes study, Digicare4You will develop and implement an evidence-based intervention in the community, using schools as an entry point. The project will consist of a two-step screening procedure to identify families at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and/or hypertension. This will be followed by an intervention combining the use of digital tools and activities supporting families’ well-being in schools and communities. The project’s ultimate aim is to develop an innovative, easy-to-implement, low-cost, and sustainable solution that will help build healthcare services’ capacity and strengthen countries’ primary care systems as well as address the specific needs and preferences of people living with or at risk of T2D and/or hypertension. 

The project, started earlier in the year, will last for just under five years. IDF Europe leads Work Package 9, in charge of the project’s communication and dissemination, including the set-up of an International Stakeholder Advisory Board. IDF Europe will also work closely with Work Package 8, for the development of a roadmap to help policymakers across Europe and beyond assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the Digicare4You solution in their regions/countries and promote people-centred care and integrated health services. A project website will be live in early September.

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