Unlocking Political Will and Commitment: Our Journey to the Global Summit for Eye Health

It has been a series of hugely important milestones for global eye health as we head toward the inaugural Global Summit for Eye Health!

From the corridors of the World Bank to the halls of the United Nations, our message is clear: eye health is not just a health issue—it is a cornerstone of global development, economic growth, and human potential.

The roadshow has been intense, inspiring, and deeply collaborative.

A Powerful Political Signal at the UN

Last week at UN Headquarters, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Guyana announced they will co-host the Global Summit for Eye Health.

The inclusion of these three nations, alongside our host, Antigua and Barbuda, sends an incredibly powerful political signal. It broadens regional leadership and ensures diverse representation at the very highest levels.

Each of these countries has been at the forefront of global and domestic action on eye care – from Presidential initiatives, to rolling out nationwide school vision programmes, to significantly increasing national financing to expand eye care services and facilities. It has been an absolute pleasure working alongside these Governments and their respective Health Ministers. They share our vision and ambition to make this Summit a turning point for eye health worldwide.

A Global Roadshow

This political breakthrough is the result of months of tireless advocacy, taking our message to key decision-makers through our global roadshow.

The World Bank Spring Meetings: Placing Eye Health on the Economic Agenda

We held our first series of events at the World Bank Spring Meetings – taking our message to Ministers of Finance, International Financing Institutions and the broader development financing community.

A few takeaways:

1) We came with the right evidence! Thanks to the Value of Vision Report, we made a compelling economic case, directly linking eye health to the World Bank’s strategic priority on jobs.
2) We came with momentum. This was an important milestone in the lead up to the Global Summit for Eye Health. We were able to link the conversations on eye health and financing with the need to move the conversation to tangible commitments and action at the Summit in November.
3) We came with a plan to unlock financing at scale. We introduced the new partnership between the Vision Catalyst Fund and The World Bank Group. This marks a major shift, giving eye health a seat at the table in broader discussions on health systems strengthening and development finance.

World Health Assembly: Deepening Political Will

Next, we headed to Geneva for the World Health Assembly for our official side event. Designed as a key ministerial moment to build visibility and drive commitments for the Summit, the event was co-sponsored by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Malaysia, alongside Sightsavers, CBM Christian Blind Mission, and The Fred Hollows Foundation.

We were incredibly honoured to feature opening remarks from HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh and WHO Assistant Director General Jeremy Farrar, cementing the high-level global support behind our mission.

United Nations High Level Political Forum: Launching the Global Compact

That momentum carried us straight into last week’s UN event at the HLPF. In front of a packed room of UN Ambassadors and key representatives from the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and the International Labour Organisation, we officially marked the political launch of the Global Compact for Eye Health.

A Global Movement: Advocacy to Commitment

Between these major multilateral moments, IAPB and its members have held several events and workshops including:

• The Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit
• The UN Economic Commission’s Ministers of Finance Meeting
• Women Deliver
• Regional Commitment Workshops across Asia, Africa, and Latin America…and more!

There is an enormous amount of national advocacy underway – with more than 80 countries actively engaged!

Very few sectors have the leadership and alignment that exist in eye health. It is hugely impressive!

In these final months leading up to the Summit in November, our focus shifts entirely to execution. The priority now is getting concrete commitments over the line and securing representation from the most senior levels of government.

Looking ahead, the UN General Assembly in September will be our next crucial staging ground to elevate eye health and push for global leadership.

Momentum is firmly on our side!