Diabetes is one of the fastest growing public health problems worldwide. It affects all populations and is increasing everywhere. It causes severe complications and shortens life expectancy significantly. Treatment of diabetes is usually life-long, and therefore expensive. However, there are good news: diabetes and its complications are preventable! By preventing diabetes all the suffering related to this disease and unnecessary costs associated with it can be avoided. The World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications is a global forum where experts on diabetes and prevention meet and all participants can enjoy high quality scientific discussions on principles of diabetes prevention and listen to the experiences from diabetes prevention programmes that have been implemented in various countries. The World Congress of Diabetes and Its Complications has taken place regularly since 1996 when the first historic Congress took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. It then traveled to Fiuggi (Rome), Italy, Hong Kong, Chennai, India, Helsinki, Finland and Dresden, Germany. During these years increasing evidence on the potential for prevention of type 2 diabetes has been obtained, included pharmacologic treatment, and the knowledge on the prevention of complications of diabetes has been strengthened.
