The world's cities will soon have the opportunity to be officially designated "diabetes aware". They will be challenged to show that their public services and businesses encourage healthy lifestyles for people with diabetes and those at risk.

The new scheme is being created by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) who plan to launch it on World Diabetes Day, 14 November 2014. IDF and the ECHAlliance want to create a global network of "diabetes aware" cities using mobile health tools to promote diabetes awareness and support.