The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has led the global diabetes community for 60 years. Founded in Amsterdam, Holland, on 23 September 1950, IDF spent some years in London, UK, before setting up headquarters at its current location in Brussels, Belgium. It has developed into an umbrella organization of around 200 national diabetes associations, representing the interests of the increasing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has grown up quickly and is now at the forefront of the fight to halt the epidemic of type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).