World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
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 issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.
The symbol of World Diabetes Day is a blue circle. The blue circle globally represents Diabetes Awareness and symbolizes unity. IDF sought a simple format to facilitate reproduction and use by people who wanted to support the campaign. This date is also marked with lighting of monuments and prominent buildings around the world in the same color.
Blue represents the sky and is the same color as the United Nations flag, which also symbolizes the union of countries. On World Diabetes Day, the use of blue clothes, the symbol of the campaign, is encouraged.
This year the theme chosen by IDF was The Nurse and Diabetes. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes. We chose to highlight this theme by asking the nurses with mySugr to help us answer some of the top diabetes questions asked on Google around the globe.
We are proud to stand with you to raise awareness about diabetes and support you in every aspect of your diabetes management. This year marks the final anchor phase of the IDF's multi-year campaign framework: "Diabetes and Well-being." Moving away from strictly clinical definitions, the current global initiative highlights the comprehensive daily realities of living with a chronic disease. The activation specifically targets "Diabetes in the Workplace," emphasizing the unique physical, mental, and societal environments required for individuals to manage their glycemic control successfully while sustaining a thriving professional and personal life.
References:
1. International Diabetes Federation (IDF). About World Diabetes Day. Available at https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/. Accessed on June 17, 2026
