Eight international organisations have signed a joint declaration in Bengaluru calling on governments and the World Health Organization to make diabetic foot disease a world health priority. The declaration was signed on 3 October at DFSICON 2026, the 23rd annual conference of the Diabetic Foot Society of India (DFSI), according to a press release published by ThePrint/ANI.
The signatories
- Diabetic Foot Society of India (DFSI)
- Podiatric Surgeons’ Society
- King’s College Hospital Diabetic Foot Unit, London
- International Association of Diabetic Foot Surgeons
- D-Foot International
- Pan-African Diabetic Foot Study Group
- American Limb Preservation Society
- International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP-IFP)
What they committed to
The signatories committed to prevention, early detection, timely referral, multidisciplinary care, limb preservation and rehabilitation. They also announced their intention to form a Global Alliance for Diabetic Foot Survival and Limb Preservation.
DFSI National President Professor V.B. Narayana Murthy said the scientific bodies had agreed one measurable agenda to protect life, limb and dignity. The conference was inaugurated by U.T. Khader, Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare. Organisers also presented two AI tools, StrideGPT and Wound360, intended to support diabetic foot education and wound assessment.
Why it matters for IMEA
The presence of the Pan-African Diabetic Foot Study Group and FIP-IFP among the signatories gives the declaration direct reach into Africa and the global podiatry community. Diabetes is rising fastest in low- and middle-income countries, where amputation rates are highest and podiatry services are thinnest. A single international agenda gives national associations across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia a common reference when lobbying health ministries.
IMEA POD Perspective
Declarations matter when they turn into national plans, budgets and measurable targets. The proposed global alliance could give the diabetic foot the kind of coordinated voice that has helped other conditions win WHO attention. The most practical contribution podiatrists across IMEA can make is evidence: publishing local data on ulcer rates, amputations and outcomes from foot protection services. That is what ministries and the WHO will need to see. IMEA POD will follow the alliance as it takes shape. The details in this report come from an organiser press release.
Sources and further reading
- ThePrint/ANI: Eight global organisations sign joint declaration in Bengaluru
- International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP-IFP)
- D-Foot International
- IDF: World Diabetes Day 2026-27