Short Summary of the scientific sessions of the 6th World Congress of Diabetes and its complications April 8th to 11th in Dresden, Germany. [introduction].

Greetings from the President of the International Diabetes Federation : Jean Claude Mbanya, Cameroon. Jean Claude opened the WCPD 2010 with the message from the strong increase of diabetes in the developing countries : The sleeping tiger, it seems, is waking up - with a bad tempered growl…. The greatest increases in the diabetes population over the next generation will occur in the African region [98%], the Middle East and North Africa, and South-East Asia. As populations become more urbanized, changes in behaviour in terms of nutrition and physical activity are resulting in rilevels of overweight and obesity - principal risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and other chronic non communicable diseases. In low and middle income countries, NCDs like diabetes are compounding the burden of infectious diseases, such as malaria, TB and HIV AIDS.Diabetes does not spare rural populations or people in the developing countries. Policies to make enviroments conducive to physical activity reduce the availability of high-calorie processed foods must be explored. The needs of developing in addressing NCDsare technical assistance to develop and implement proven national policies and plans to prevent premature deaths. IDF always combines its regional council meetings and General Council meeting of its entire membership with the congress, hopefully followed by a World Economic Forum meeting focusing on NCDs and then an UN General Assembly Special session in the first half of 2011. The aim is to add a new one day political event  called the Global Diabetes Forum at the next WCPD  in Dubai in 2011, to bring ministers, CEOs from industry, and NGOs together, to discuss what needs to be done next to turn around the global diabetes epidemic.