In July 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution “Vision for All: Accelerating Action to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals». This resolution reaffirms the place of eye health in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and commits the international community to ensuring the eye health of the 1.1 billion people living with avoidable vision loss by 2030. The resolution is the first UN agreement designed to combat avoidable vision loss and was adopted unanimously by all 193 member countries. It sets a common target for all by 2030. Countries also commit to ensuring full access to eye care services for their populations. They plan to include eye health as an integral part of their commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The resolution recognizes the important contribution of promoting eye health in accelerating the achievement of the 2030 SDGs and acknowledges that improving eye health support efforts to build a more equitable, sustainable and inclusive future. At least 2 billion people worldwide live with visual impairment or blindness, and 1.1 billion have a visual impairment that could have been prevented or still needs to be treated. With the world’s need for eye care predicted to increase dramatically, half the world’s population is also expected to be living with a visual impairment by 2050. This resolution is therefore timely and necessary.
The resolution also calls on international financial institutions and donors to provide adequate funding, particularly for developing countries, to address the growing impact of vision loss on sustainable development, and to establish an international eye health campaign in support of the SDGs until they are achieved.
The driving force behind this UN resolution is embodied by the UN Friends of Vision group, made up of national representatives from over 50 countries. The group is supported by a secretariat chaired by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), of which OPC is a member, and includes long-standing OPC partners such as Sightsavers.
OPC: Championing Eye Health for Over 40 Years
Since 1978, OPC has been working to guarantee the human right to sight, providing research, treatment and care for people affected by blindness and blinding diseases in French-speaking Africa. Through its comprehensive and universal eye care (SOCU) and neglected tropical diseases (NTD) programs, OPC:
- Implements and/or strengthens eye care programs.
- Builds capacity and mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of eye health activities.
- Strengthens local teams of eye health professionals.
- Shares knowledge.
- Trains human resources in ophthalmology and best practices.
Through its inclusive approach to eye health care, OPC ensures that the most vulnerable communities – women, children, people with disabilities, and communities living in rural or remote areas – have access to quality eye care.
OPC is proud of the adoption of the UN Vision Resolution, as it draws attention to the vital role eye health plays in global health and well-being, including:
Economic Benefits
Improving vision and optimizing the functional abilities of people suffering from blindness or visual impairment leads to improved employment prospects, better productivity at work, increased income, spending, and economic productivity. These economic benefits are particularly important for the vulnerable communities in French-speaking Africa where OPC works.
Social Benefits
Improved vision reduces the isolation of blind and partially sighted people, and the burden on their families and other carers. This promotes inclusion. Improved vision also reduces the disproportionate impact of eye health problems on vulnerable populations, such as women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, refugees, and other groups often marginalized and excluded from society.
Educational Benefits
When children are not limited by visual impairment, school enrolment increases. Children learn more easily and perform better at school. An eye test and a pair of glasses can make the difference between success, which leads to inclusion, and failure, which leads to exclusion.
Promoting Gender Equality
The prevalence of visual impairment is higher among women and contributes to the socio-economic inequality suffered by women and girls worldwide. To combat this, women must achieve gender equality in access to eye care.
By supporting OPC, you are contributing to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030 and supporting the commitment of the United Nations Vision for All resolution.
Help us by making a donation to support OPC’s work.
