November 14 is World Diabetes Day, and we at The diaTribe Foundation, in partnership with FBC Health Company Area 23, are excited to launch the State of Diabetes campaign, an initiative petitioning the United Nations to recognize type 2 diabetes as a sovereign nation.

Area 23 created this initiative to heighten awareness among world leaders about the growing threat of type 2 diabetes. As Tim Hawkey (managing director of Area 23) stated, “343 million people are living with type 2 diabetes. A population of that size could form the world’s third-largest nation [just after China and India] – it would be more than twice the size of Russia, and five times the size of France. Diabetes remains an epidemic that is gravely under-recognized in world affairs. We’re looking to change that.” 

Additionally, The diaTribe Foundation founder Kelly Close points out, “In emerging nations - where processed and fast foods are too often more accessible than healthier options - ‘lifestyle choices’ may not really be choices. Education on an individual basis is only one piece of the puzzle. We need to put type 2 diabetes awareness on the agenda, at the national and international levels, in order to increase awareness, education, and destigmatization of type 2 diabetes.” At current predictions from the International Diabetes Federation, over 776 million people in the world will have diabetes by the year 2035. While this prediction is daunting, it’s a reality that could be prevented with greater awareness and recognition of type 2 diabetes on the international level, with stakeholders from across the board being held accountable and doing their part to fight diabetes.

So how exactly does the State of Diabetes petition to become its own nation? Surprisingly, it’s not actually that complicated. Step 1: acquire land. Step 2: write a constitution. Step 3: form a government. Step 4: get recognition - only one other nation would need to recognize the State of Diabetes as its own nation. Then, we'd write a petition letter to the Secretary General of UN. After that, it’s up to the UN to decide, but in the end raising awareness for this global epidemic will make it a success either way. The State of Diabetes campaign can hopefully add fuel to the fire and garner attention (and action) from world leaders. This initiative was designed to spark conversations about furthering education and awareness efforts, and even inspire access to healthier food across the globe.

We think this campaign is SO critical to raising the voice of the diabetes community. For more information about this campaign and to learn how to show your support, please visit thestateofdiabetes.org or follow the #StateofDiabetes hashtag on Twitter!

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