The Story Behind World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes¹. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922¹.

WDD is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to important issues and keeps diabetes in the public and political spotlight.

The symbol of World Diabetes Day is a blue circle, which globally represents diabetes awareness and symbolises the unity of the diabetes community. Blue represents the sky and is the same color as the United Nations flag, which also symbolises the union of countries. IDF sought a simple format to facilitate widespread use by those who wish to support the campaign. This date is also marked with lighting of monuments and prominent buildings around the world in the same colour.

On World Diabetes Day, wearing blue colours, displaying WDD visual assets and sharing a blue circle selfie are just some of the activities that people are encouraged to get involved in. Take a look at more ways you can support and raise awareness of the campaign here.

The theme for WDD in 2021-23 is Access to Diabetes Care, with a focus in 2022 of raising awareness of the need for more diabetes education in 2022. Roche Diabetes Care is committed to advancing access to diabetes care and overcoming health disparities so that we can help people with diabetes experience true relief from their daily therapy burden, irrespective of where they live. This year, Roche Diabetes Care’s dedicated support for World Diabetes Day includes awareness activities highlighting the need for better access to high-quality diabetes education for people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals everywhere in the world.

You can join the conversation online and raise awareness of the need for improved access to diabetes education using the official hashtags: #WorldDiabetesDay and #EducationToProtect.

We are proud to stand with you to raise awareness about diabetes and support you in your diabetes management.