UN adopts resolution on eye care
Aims to help 1.1 billion with vision impairment
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. General Assembly approved its first-ever resolution on vision Friday, calling on its 193 member nations to ensure access to eye care for everyone in their countries which would contribute to a global effort to help at least 1.1 billion people with vision impairment who currently lack eye services by 2030.
The “Vision for Everyone” resolution, sponsored by Bangladesh, Antigua and Ireland, and co-sponsored by over 100 countries, was adopted by consensus by the world body.
It encourages countries to institute a “whole of government approach to eye care.” And it calls on international financial institutions and donors to provide targeted financing, especially for developing countries, to address the increasing impact of vision loss on economic and social development.
According to the resolution, “at least 2 billion people are living with vision impairment or blindness and 1.1billion people have vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.”
“Global eye care needs are projected to increase substantially, with half the global population expected to be living with a vision impairment by 2050,” the resolution says.
Bangladesh’s U.N. Ambassador Rabab Fatima introduced the resolution, stressing its first-ever focus on vision, and calling it “a long overdue recognition of the central role that healthy vision plays in human life and for sustainable development.”
He said over 90% of the 1.1 billion people worldwide with vision loss live in low- and middle-income countries, adding that 55% of blind people are women and girls.
While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they do reflect global opinion.