First United Nations resolution designed to tackle preventable sight loss

As a member of The United Nations Friends of Vision, The Vision Council shared that The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has on Friday, July 23, adopted Resolution A/75/L.108 committing the international community to eye care for the 1.1 billion people living with preventable sight loss by 2030. Sight loss is calculated to cost the global economy $411bn in productivity each year.

The resolution is the first agreement designed to tackle preventable sight loss to be adopted by the United Nations and enshrines eye health as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The resolution was passed unanimously by all 193 countries of the United Nations. It sets a target for vision for everyone by 2030, with countries set to ensure full access to eye care services for their populations, and to make eye health part of their nation’s journey to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The resolution creates new expectations for international financial institutions and donors to provide targeted finances, especially to support developing countries in tackling preventable sight loss. And for the United Nations to incorporate eye health into its work, including through Unicef and UN-Women.
The resolution calls for new targets on eye care to be included in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at its next review.

The plan will mean that by 2030, the 1.1 billion people globally living with sight loss, will have access to support and treatment. But, campaigners say, only if governments and international institutions act now to fulfil their new commitments. Commenting on the adoption of the Resolution, Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council, member of The United Nations Friends of Vision, said:
“The Vision Council is proud to serve as one of the leading organizations in the Friends of Vision Coalition. This is an incredible moment to work on behalf of vision as an issue, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners at the Friends of Vision to build a proactive platform for vision, which we know has an incredible impact on many fronts, from employment and equity to education.”

H.E. Ambassador Aubrey Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, and founding co-chair of the United Nations Friends of Vision group said:
“An eye test for a child can be the difference between inclusion and or exclusion; A pair of prescription glasses, the difference between access to information and seeking a livelihood and not. Corrective eye treatment, the difference between improved sight and total loss of sight. The gift of sight for the 1.1 billion people living with preventable sight loss is within reach if we ensure world leaders deliver on this moment.”