Evidence-based guidelines have come of age in the last decade, with a number of countries producing one form of diabetes evidenced-based guideline or another. But this very concept has placed a barrier to guideline development in front of those with no expertise in the area, in contrast to the intuitively obvious consensus guidelines of old. As a result of demands from its members, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has sought to meet the need for guidance on guideline development. Philip Home discusses the new document which was made available at the recent IDF Congress in Paris.