Join the Leading Global Eye Health Alliance.
Membership-
Choose an alternate language here
- Membership
The past two months have marked a transformative period for global eye health. The Global Summit for Eye Health has officially launched with 219 days to go! The Summit, held alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua in November will bring together Heads of State and Government, senior ministers, and leaders from multilateral institutions, development partners, civil society and the private sector to focus on the value of vision.
Our objective is clear: to secure a new wave of ambitious, tangible commitments to reach the one billion people currently left behind.
We were especially pleased to announce that the World Health Organization (WHO) has formally confirmed that it will serve as technical collaborator of the Global Summit for Eye Health. This is a major milestone and a strong endorsement of our shared ambition. And we continue to see strong support from international institutions including UNICEF, International Labour Organisations and UN-OHRLLS.
The “Roadshow” to Antigua
The process of engaging governments is already well underway. None of this would be possible without the extraordinary work of our members who are conducting intensive, targeted national advocacy across more than 80 countries – led by Amanda Davis and Drew Keys.
This year, there have been successful Ministerial meetings at the ECSA Health Forum in Eswatini, at the Pacific Pathways workshop in Fiji and here in the UK. March will also see regional commitment workshops in São Paulo, Hobart (addressed by Nobel Laureate José Ramos-Horta), Jaipur, Asunción and Bangkok.
We are utilising existing groups such as United Nations Friends of Vision, a coalition of 60+ UN Ambassadors, to champion the Summit and commitments globally.
And we are working closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and engaging the High Commissioners to ensure the Summit is a priority for Heads of State and Government attending CHOGM.
In addition to the efforts to secure commitments from Governments, K-T Overby, Chair of the Summit, will convene the IAPB Council Members, Member Organisation CEOs and other senior staff to support the development of sectoral pledges and Reade Fahs is leading the engagement with the Private Sector.
Key Milestones in the next 3 months
The journey to the November Summit is paved with critical international forums where eye health is being integrated into the broader development agenda.
In Abuja, Nigeria, the event ‘The Value of Vision: Scaling Afri-Caribbean Human Capital through Eye Health’ will showcase African and Caribbean leadership on eye health and galvanise political commitments from Finance and Health Ministers ahead of the Summit.
In Washington DC, the event “Financing Vision, Financing Growth” will bring together Ministers of Finance senior World Bank leadership, development banks, UN agencies to discuss vision as strategic investment in human capital and to launch a new World Bank Initiative for Eye Health
A high-level side event, “The Value of Vision: The Roadmap to the Global Summit,” will convene Ministers of Health in Geneva. Co-organised by the UK, Malaysia this will allow countries to begin shaping the national commitments they intend to elevate to Heads of State in November.
Progress amidst challenges
Across the world we are seeing real breakthroughs for global eye health: from legislative changes on the taxation of glasses in Nepal to new World Bank–supported initiatives and new financing that will reward the most ambitious government commitments on presbyopia. There is much to celebrate in this edition of In Sight Live, and there is also a lot still more to do!
However, progress does not happen in a vacuum. The escalating conflict in the Middle East weighs heavily on us. Since February 28, the WHO has verified 18 attacks on healthcare. These disruptions cost lives; they strip away access to healthcare, including vision care. As a global health organisation, we express our support for healthcare workers, the eye care workforce, plus our members working across the Middle East.
Once in a generation moment
The Summit is a once in a generation moment for the eye care sector. If we get this right, by the 2 November, we will be able to point to money committed, government ownership, an accountability mechanism to ensure words become action, and a powerful platform for partnerships.
What is needed now is what is always needed: political will.
