The First United Nations Observed World Diabetes Day

November 14, 2007 was the First United Nations Observed World Diabetes Day. I had the honour of being one of two representatives of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) at the UN Headquarters for the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day. To commemorate the UN Resolution and that is where I started a Resolution Torch of Diabetes Advocacy. The time capsule artifacts contributed the first year included a copy of the UN Resolution, signed and dated on the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day by the Honourable Ismat Jahan, Ambassador from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (the lead country on the Resolution), a copy of a letter written by the Queen Mother about Banting House, signed and dated on the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day by the Honourable Henri Paul Normandin, Canadian Ambassador to the UN, and a UN postcard, sent from the “official” UN Post office with the date stamp of the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day.

To commemorate this day all representatives at the UN completed a symbolic 246 step march from the United Nations Headquarters representing the 246 million people worldwide living with diabetes.

Every year on World Diabetes Day, monuments and buildings around the world are illuminated in blue. For the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day the Empire State Building was lit in blue - See some related photos at: http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=695826141#/album.php?aid=98992&id=695826141&op=6

Gathering Momentum

Once the Resolution on Diabetes passed in December of 2006, my efforts shifted to following up with government officials, and the corporate sector in order to encourage thinking about how to support the Resolution. I am pleased that the United Nations Resolution on Diabetes become a reality, but the resolution itself is only the symbolic beginning of important work that needs to be done. After being directly involved in the advocacy efforts leading up to the United Nations Resolution on Diabetes, I knew that there was something I wanted to do in order to initiate a longer-term advocacy effort: Something that would start on the very first UN-observed World Diabetes Day and continue from there. That idea was a Resolution Torch. I was asked to be one of two representatives that the CDA sent to the events happening at the UN Headquarters for the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day. It was an immense honor and a privilege to be selected to represent the CDA at the historic first UN-observed World Diabetes Day. Part of my goal in attending was to initiate this Resolution Torch at the UN headquarters on the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day.

Leading up to the first UN-observed World Diabetes Day I needed to figure out what the Resolution Torch would be. The idea of a living time capsule started to evolve and I worked closely with the Canadian Diabetes Association on gathering the initial artifacts for the Torch “Living Time Capsule” - one of the first foundation artifacts fittingly came from Grant Maltman, Curator, Banting House Canadian National Historic Site, London, ON, Canada, North America. The artifacts contributed included a copy of a letter written by the Queen Mother about Banting House, a Canadian National Historic Site where Frederick Banting lived and practiced and a piece of rock from Banting House, the Canadian National Historic Site.