More than ever before, the European diabetes community was united on 14 November to celebrate the World Diabetes Day. I am overwhelmed by the number of events which took place on that day on the continent and I am even more convinced that our joined efforts will lead to better and stronger prevention, better care and a unified voice for people living with diabetes.
Our TEAM meeting and Regional Council, brilliantly hosted by the Portuguese Diabetes Association in Lisbon last November, were for many of us a unique experience. Thanks to your engagement and enthusiasm, reflections were fruitful and collegial. In Lisbon we also had the occasion to celebrate the winners of the 2016 IDF Europe Prizes in Diabetes: Shoqata E Diabetit Në Shqipëri (Albanian Diabetes Association) in the long-standing achievement category; Dr Michael Gejl Jensen (Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark) in the young researcher category and #dedoc, the German Diabetes Online Community in the social media category.
With IMPACT Diabetes, we pursue the reinforcement of the unity of Members of Parliament to fight against diabetes; with our Youth leadership Programme, we continue to build a united European team of young advocates; together, in our daily work with people with diabetes, we make sure that their rights are respected and ensure a united voice to defend and protect them locally and at the European level.
Throughout 2017 there will be occasions to show the uunity of our voice, starting with World Health Day, focussing on depression, a theme of great relevance for people with diabetes.
On behalf of the IDF Europe Board and the Regional office, I want to forward you best wishes and we look forward to working with each and every one of you.
Prof Dr Sehnaz Karadeniz, Chair, IDF European Region