Amplifying Voices, Closing T1D Gaps: Action4Diabetes at IDF-WPR & ADC 2026
MELBOURNE, 18 - 21 August 2026 - The Action4Diabetes (A4D) team gathered alongside healthcare leaders, advocates, and global stakeholders at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the International Diabetes Federation Western Pacific Region (IDF-WPR) Congress and Australasian Diabetes Congress (ADC). It was a powerful four days dedicated to raising awareness, building regional alliances, and elevating the profile of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) care across South-East Asia.
Our presence was felt right from the start. On 18 August, we hosted a booth at Diabetes Community Day—an event open not only to congress attendees but also to members of the general public. It was a wonderful opportunity to engage directly with the wider community, share our mission of #takingontype1, and step up as an invited speaker for the Diabetes Community Day: Advocacy in Action - Driving Change session on the Spotlight Stage. As the main congress got underway from 19 to 21 August, our exhibition booth remained a vibrant hub, giving our team a continuous platform to reconnect with trusted partners, meet new allies, and foster collaborations across the
region.
In addition to our exhibition presence across all four days, A4D was invited to present in two major congress sessions on 20 August to address critical healthcare gaps in South-East Asia. In Stream 1 Session #4: Access and cost challenges - the reality of living with diabetes, Regional Manager Fiona Ooi highlighted that while insulin keeps people alive, localized education is what empowers them to live. She showcased A4D’s free, ISPAD-endorsed HelloType1 multilingual digital platform, illustrating how digital resources paired with peer-to-peer community initiatives are transforming young recipients into active advocates. Later that morning, during Global Village Spotlight Session #4, our team presented A4D’s comprehensive four-pillar model—spanning clinical support, education, health capacity building, and policy research—stressing how regional disparities in remote care, clinical capacity, and out-of-pocket costs drive low diagnosis rates, and advocating for T1D's inclusion in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) across the region.
We left Melbourne feeling inspired, energised, and deeply grateful for the platform to amplify the voices of young people living with T1D. To everyone who stopped by our booths, attended our presentations, and expressed a keen interest in collaborating: thank you. The congress may be over, but the real work begins now as we translate these conversations into impactful action on the ground for children, young people, and families living with T1D across South-East Asia.
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