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Of the more than 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, several million are living with diabetes, having fled war, conflict or persecution in their home country. On World Refugee Day, their experiences are a reminder that solidarity with refugees includes access to continuous healthcare, especially for those living with chronic conditions.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), under international law, refugees are people who are forced to flee their countries of origin because of conflict, violence or persecution, and who are in need of international protection. The truth is anyone can become a refugee. There is no single face, background or story that defines a refugee.
For people with diabetes, care cannot be paused. Insulin, oral medicines, glucose monitoring, regular meals, safe storage and spaces to exercise, clinical follow-up and emergency support all play a role in preventing life-threatening complications. When people are forced to flee, this daily routine can be suddenly disrupted, with consequences for children, pregnant women, people treated with insulin, and those already living with diabetes-related complications.
Conflict and war profoundly disrupt supply chains, services, and healthcare systems. In emergency and humanitarian settings, healthcare systems can falter, leaving people with diabetes without the essential medicines, equipment and support they need to manage their condition. Attempts to send crucial provisions to conflict zones can fail because of destroyed infrastructure, curfews, insecurity and looted pharmacies, creating a race against time to access life-saving medicines such as insulin.
Displacement can also separate people from medical records, prescriptions and healthcare teams. Without proof of diagnosis, treatment history or access to regular consultations, people may face delays, treatment mistakes or interruptions in care. Even when medicines or supplies are available, the cost of insulin, test strips, transport or consultations can put them out of reach for refugees and displaced families already struggling to meet basic needs.
Emergency settings also pose practical challenges for diabetes management. Access to suitable food, clean water, refrigeration and safe spaces for physical activity are often limited. Emotional distress, injury, infection and uncertainty can further affect blood glucose levels and increase the risk of serious short- and long-term complications.
For people with diabetes, care cannot be paused. Insulin, oral medicines, glucose monitoring, regular meals, safe storage and spaces to exercise, clinical follow-up and emergency support all play a role in preventing life-threatening complications
Today, several conflict-affected settings show how fragile diabetes care becomes when people are forced to flee. Behind every disrupted supply chain or damaged clinic are people trying to stay alive without guaranteed access to insulin, monitoring tools, safe food or refrigeration. From Gaza and Sudan to Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), these crises illustrate that diabetes care in emergencies is not a secondary concern, but a matter of survival.
In Gaza, damaged health facilities, repeated displacement and restrictions on humanitarian access have made routine care herculean. People living with diabetes face interrupted access to insulin, oral medicines, glucose-monitoring supplies, safe food, refrigeration and clinical follow-up.
In 2023, Ezzedine, from Gaza, lost his home, lived in constant fear and eventually ran out of insulin and test strips. He relied on guesswork to manage his blood glucose, often facing dangerous hypoglycaemia with almost no food. At one point, he had no insulin left until a paramedic gave him one pen. In that moment, it meant life. Even after reaching safety in Egypt, access to insulin proved uncertain.
For Aya from Sudan, access to basic monitoring tools has become extremely difficult. What was once available is now scarce and expensive. This sudden shift turns a life-saving necessity into something that feels like a luxury. The stress of not knowing whether she can find or afford supplies adds a heavy emotional burden to an already challenging condition.
The conflict in Sudan has disrupted supply chains, health services and cold-chain systems, leaving many people dependent on humanitarian shipments and local networks to obtain insulin and essential supplies. Recent humanitarian efforts have delivered insulin, glucose meters, test strips, lancets, pens and pen needles, but access remains uneven, and insecurity continues to limit distribution.
In Lebanon, uncertainty has become a daily reality for Pedro. He worries about whether he will find insulin, whether power cuts could affect its storage and whether he can manage his condition safely the next day. This constant instability takes both a physical and psychological toll. Living with diabetes already requires continuous attention and discipline. The added fear and unpredictability create a significant mental burden, one that directly affects his health and well-being.
Refugees with diabetes in Lebanon are also affected by severe reductions in subsidised healthcare and hospital support. For families already facing high living costs, the loss of assistance can mean delayed consultations, fewer tests, interrupted medicines and greater risk of complications.
In eastern DRC, escalating violence and displacement have damaged health infrastructure and disrupted care. Insulin is often difficult to find outside hospitals, monitoring supplies are limited, and analogue pens and devices remain rare. The situation highlights a broader challenge in many humanitarian settings: diabetes care depends not only on medicines but also on functioning health systems, trained staff, reliable supply chains, and affordable access.
Diabetes care depends not only on medicines but also on functioning health systems, trained staff, reliable supply chains, and affordable access
In a disaster scenario, a delicate web of support services, volunteers, clinical bodies and government agencies works together to safeguard people with diabetes. Central to this network are diabetes associations, people living with diabetes and their families, and their communities.
One key consideration during evacuation or sheltering is that first responders may lack sufficient knowledge of diabetes or resources. People with type 1 diabetes need to continue insulin treatment, but insulin, glucose monitoring supplies and hypoglycaemia treatment are often overlooked in emergency dispatches. Children and young people may be particularly vulnerable if caregivers are separated, routines are disrupted, or supplies run out.
NGOs are pivotal in disaster response, often focusing on different healthcare needs. Their contributions include local knowledge, translation, distribution of available supplies and support before larger aid shipments arrive. Organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provide comprehensive noncommunicable disease (NCD) care at the primary healthcare level in refugee camps, helping address the needs of refugees with diabetes.
Planning is an essential part of emergency preparedness. In addition to basic emergency supplies, people with diabetes should, where possible, pack a diabetes care kit in an easy-to-carry waterproof bag or storage container for emergency evacuation. This may include insulin or other medicines, glucose-monitoring tools, test strips, lancets, pen needles or syringes, hypo treatments, prescriptions, medical records and information on storage needs.
NGOs are pivotal in disaster response, often focusing on different healthcare needs. Their contributions include local knowledge, translation, distribution of available supplies and support
In addition to spearheading essential diabetes initiatives, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) engages in humanitarian activities to tackle the challenges of living with diabetes during natural or human-made disasters.
In April 2023, the IDF Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s Disaster Committee joined Direct Relief and its local partners to address the urgent need for essential diabetes medicines and supplies for people living with diabetes in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries. Likewise, MENA medical associations are collaborating with Direct Relief to source and deliver insulin through the Egyptian Red Crescent to Palestinian people with diabetes in Gaza.
For refugees living with diabetes, humanitarian support must go beyond immediate emergency response. It must ensure predictable access to insulin and other medicines, glucose-monitoring supplies, cold-chain storage, trained healthcare workers, clear referral pathways and affordable care. Solidarity with refugees means protecting the continuity of life-saving treatment before, during and after displacement, so that people forced to flee are not also forced to risk their health, complications or death from a manageable condition.
World Refugee Day is an international observance held every year on 20 June to honour and raise awareness of people who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution, violence, human rights violations, or other crises.
It was established by the United Nations and is coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The day was first observed globally in 2001, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a key international treaty protecting refugees.
World Refugee Day aims to:
The day is marked around the world through public events, educational activities, advocacy campaigns, cultural programmes, and fundraising efforts that highlight refugee experiences and promote solidarity with displaced communities.
Importantly, World Refugee Day is not only about refugees who have crossed international borders; it also draws attention to the broader global displacement crisis, including asylum seekers and internally displaced people who have been forced to leave their homes but remain within their own countries.
Learn more about World Refugee Day and how to get involved.
