Representatives of government health departments and patient organisations from all Europe met with
diabetes experts under the aegis of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in St Vincent, Italy in 1989 to agree and commit themselves on general goals and a 5 year target programme to tackle the burden of diabetes: the Saint Vincent Declaration.
The Saint Vincent Declaration highlights the importance of diabetes related issues and the necessity to address them on a local, regional and national level.
Its general goals articulate around:
- Detection and treatment of diabetes
- Importance of diabetes control
- Prevention
- Patient empowerment
- Access to care
- Equity for all people with diabetes
- Prevention of complications:
- Retinopathy
- Nephropathy
- Amputation
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Pregnancy related complications
- International collaboration in programmes of diabetes research and development
