Ministerial Conference on Diabetes to Tackle Global Diabetes Epidemic

Global leaders to forge partnerships, share innovations and exchange best practices to strengthen global response to the diabetes epidemic

          Singapore will host the inaugural Ministerial Conference on Diabetes on 26 and 27 November 2018 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. The Conference will bring together more than 300 international and local delegates, including health ministers, senior government officials, academics and thought leaders from 18 countries and regions¹. Delegates will share best practices and insights, discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from the global diabetes epidemic, and build on the collective knowledge to address the challenges that diabetes inflicts on society. Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, will attend the opening ceremony as the guest of honour and deliver the opening address.

2.          Diabetes poses a large and growing burden for many countries around the world and Singapore is no exception. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, as the leading cause of death and disability globally. NCDs are responsible for 71% of all deaths worldwide², and more than half of the global burden of diseases³. 8.5% of the adult population worldwide, or approximately 422 million individuals, are estimated to have diabetes⁴. In Singapore, there are currently over 450,000⁵ Singaporeans living with the condition. One in three Singaporeans has a lifetime risk of getting diabetes, and the number of those with diabetes is projected to reach one million by 2050 if current trends continue.

3.         Singapore declared a War on Diabetes in 2016 to rally a whole-of-nation effort to create a supportive environment for people in Singapore to take steps towards preventing diabetes or living well with proper management of the disease. The Conference will be a key platform for Singapore and the global community to collectively strengthen the global response towards tackling diabetes. The Conference will focus on three key discussion themes:

• Examining the global diabetes epidemic, as well as the challenges and opportunities arising from this problem;

• Tackling diabetes through health promotion and primary care, to create supportive environments for individuals; and

• Leveraging technology and behavioural insights to enable changes for better health

4.          The keynote speakers for the Conference are:

• Dr Svetlana Axelrod, Assistant Director-General for Non Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, World Health Organization;

• Dr Sania Nishtar, Co-Chair, Independent High-Level Global Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases, World Health Organization; and

• Professor Paul Zimmet, Professor of Diabetes, Monash University, Australia.

5.          The Conference will conclude with a Ministerial Roundtable, where attending health ministers and senior government officials will discuss how nations can effectively leverage and prioritise innovation, strengthen social mobilisation, and better cooperate with key stakeholders to address the global issue of diabetes and other NCDs.

6.          For more information, please refer to the Singapore Ministerial Conference on Diabetes website at: www.mcod2018.sg. The programme for the Conference can be found in Annex.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

25 NOVEMBER 2018

¹Participating countries and regions include: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Finland, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Macao SAR, Myanmar, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States of America and Viet Nam.
²Source: WHO June 2018
³Benziger CP, Roth GA, Moran AE. The Global Burden of Disease study and the preventable burden of NCD. Global Heart. .2016 Dec 8; 11(4):393 - 397
⁴Source: WHO Global Report on Diabetes 2016
⁵Includes individuals with undiagnosed diabetes

ANNEX

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS