[The role of diabetes associations]

The first diabetes association was created in 1926, soon after the first clinical use of insulin, in Portugal. In Belgium, the "Association Belge du Diabète" was founded in 1942, and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) was created in 1950 with at that time 16 associations, in 2005 more than 180 associations. The aims of these associations are: --Defence of the rights of the diabetic people in all fields, --Education of the patients and their family as well as of the healthcare professionals on diabetes, --Representation of people with diabetes and of healthcare professionals involved in diabetes at all levels, keeping in mind the major importance of solidarity, --Support to the clinical as well as the fundamental research, --Increase of the global knowledge concerning diabetes, --Actions to favour positive changes, --Act as the global advocate of the cause of diabetes --Facilitate the access to medication (especially insulin), which still is a major problem in many parts of the world, Knowing the explosion of diabetes throughout the world with all the medical, economical, professional, social and human problems related to this major increase, it is obvious that the role of diabetes associations still is and will be even more and more important.