IDF Western Pacific Region Congress an enormous success

Posted on April 15, 2008 at 12:22 PM by IDF News Team in Anchor News.

Around 2,000 delegates attended the International Diabetes Federation Western Pacific Congress in Wellington, New Zealand, from 30 March to 2 April. This makes the Congress one of the biggest conferences ever held in New Zealand. Including sponsors’ registrations, the total number of attendees was around 2,200.

‘This Congress has been an enormous success,’ according to the Chair of the Scientific Committee, Professor Russell Scott. ‘The programme has featured state of the art lectures on innovative research, clinical care and diabetes education.

This has been an opportunity to not only promote diabetes awareness, prevention and management in the region (Pacific, Oceania and Asia), but it has profiled the significant differences between the various countries that comprise the WPIDF.’

Around 70% of the delegates were international visitors. Presentations by experts from the Asia Pacific region were complemented by talks by UK, US and Canadian diabetes opinion leaders.

One of the six Congress streams was focused on diabetes in the Western Pacific Region and included presentations on the changing face of diabetes in Asia and the Pacific, environmental and ethnicity in the region and ethnicity, and diabetes and its complications. All of the streams had an international perspective and carried a cohesive message on the need to develop global strategies for what are global problems.

The importance of the United Nations Resolution 61/225, which encourages signatories to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes in line with the sustainable development of their healthcare systems, has been reinforced by several key speakers.

‘For the first time, all the Member governments acknowledged that this non-infectious disease posed as serious a threat to world health as infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. We need the governments of the region to support and fund the ongoing diabetes priorities that have been highlighted at this Congress,’ concludes Professor Scott. ‘International momentum for real change and commitment has been generated here and all participating delegates at this Congress want to see this continue. More research investment and the implementation of sustainable interventions that arrest the growth of diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, will be a positive first step in the global battle to defeat diabetes.’

For more information on the Congress programme, please go to www.idfwpr2008.org.

To arrange interviews with the Congress speakers or for media enquiries and further information on the Congress, please contact:
Bronwyn Bannister
Congress Communications Manager
(+64 4) 499 7143
027 410 4873
bronwyn.bannister@diabetes.org.nz