This statement was submitted to address agenda item 4.i – Addressing Diabetes as a Public Health Challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean – at the Seventy-Second Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean
Honourable Chair,
Distinguished Delegates,
The World Heart Federation applauds the World Health Organization and Member States for the strides made in implementing the Regional Framework for Action on Diabetes Prevention and Control.
The Eastern Mediterranean region bears the highest prevalence of diabetes globally – 17.6% among adults aged 20 to 79 years. In our region, nearly 85 million adults currently live with diabetes, a figure projected to almost double to 163 million by 2050. The economic burden is also expected to rise sharply, from 639 billion in 2023 to 1.5 trillion international dollars by 2050.
People Living with Diabetes face a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease. In the absence of adequate care, diabetes leads to severe micro- and macrovascular complications. Compared to unaffected individuals, people living with diabetes experience a twofold increase in risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, sudden death, and angina pectoris.
Yet, diagnosis and treatment remain inadequate. Too often, a coronary event is the first point at which type 2 diabetes is identified. In the region, complications such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, ischemic heart disease, and coronary artery disease are highly prevalent among people living with diabetes. Ultimately, over half of all people living with type 2 diabetes die from cardiovascular disease.
Therefore, prevention, screening, early diagnosis, and management of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease must be effectively integrated into health systems.
WHF urges Member States to:
- Ensure equitable access to essential, people-centred, and integrated cardiovascular care – including diagnosis, blood pressure control, and cholesterol management – for people living with diabetes;
- Guarantee access to affordable medicines – including agents that reduce both glycaemia and cardiovascular events – as well as technologies for self-management and monitoring;
- Strengthen integration into primary healthcare, embedding diabetes prevention, early detection through national screening programmes, and interventions into national NCD policies, strategies, and universal health coverage. In particular, ensure the continuity of essential services in health emergencies;
- Scale up evidence-based interventions through the implementation of WHO PEN, the WHO HEARTS technical package – especially its diabetes module – and the WHO Best Buys, with a particular focus on achieving the WHA-approved Global Diabetes Targets (WHA75/2022/REC/1 – Annex 9);
- Create environments that enable healthy lifestyles, addressing the social and commercial determinants of health through national policies; and
- Empower people living with diabetes through therapeutic patient education, equipping individuals with knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their condition and improve quality of life.
WHO and its Member States have set five global targets for diabetes by 2030, including diagnosing 80% of people living with diabetes, achieving good glycaemic (i.e., HbA1c) and blood pressure control for 80% of diagnosed individuals, providing statins to 60% of people living with diabetes aged 40 and above, and ensuring universal (i.e., 100%) access to affordable insulin and self-monitoring tools for people living with type 1 diabetes. The above targets are core to the Global Diabetes Compact, which aims to improve diabetes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment worldwide.
To support global efforts, our WHF Roadmap on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Among People Living With Diabetes may serve as a practical tool to guide integrated action.
Thank you.
