ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association (ADA), the nation's leading voluntary health organization in the fight against diabetes, announced today that the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the United Nations (UN) received the Association's prestigious Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Diabetes at the organization's Community Volunteer Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting on November 17, in St. Louis, Missouri. The award was accepted, on behalf of Bangladesh, by Her Excellency Ms. Ismat Jahan, Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nations.
The Charles H. Best Medal for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Diabetes is named for Dr. Best, the co-discoverer of insulin. The award honors distinguished services in the field of diabetes, including both scientific and nonscientific endeavors.
"On behalf of the American Diabetes Association, we are honored to present this prestigious award to the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the United Nations for their efforts to make every citizen of the world aware about diabetes," commented John Buse, MD, Ph.D., President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. "The adoption of the World Diabetes Day Resolution would not have been possible without their involvement."
On December 20, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly passed the World Diabetes Day Resolution, designating November 14, the current World Diabetes Day, as a United Nations Day. Observed for the first time this November, the resolution recognizes the seriousness of diabetes on a global scale while emphasizing the urgent need to promote and improve human health and provide access to treatment and health care education through multilateral efforts.
When the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) contemplated the concept of a UN World Diabetes Day, Bangladesh welcomed the challenge. The permanent Mission to the UN in New York worked untiringly with IDF, ultimately resulting in the largest ever diabetes coalition in the world. The World Diabetes Day Resolution makes diabetes the only disease other than AIDS having its own UN Resolution and UN observed World Day.
The designation of a special day is not an end to itself; it is just the beginning. The ultimate objective is to make every citizen of the world aware of diabetes -- how to prevent, how to manage, how to cope, and how to care. To this end, the world has come together, motivated by the same unity of purpose, and solid resolve.
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body's ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Diabetes currently affects 246 million people globally, including nearly 21 million children and adults in the United States. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States and it has no cure.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. The Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides services to hundreds of communities across the country. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org/. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
American Diabetes Association
