On September 20, 2017 I had the honor to participate in the Clear Vision for Everyone, an SDG Accelerator, the event was one of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) outside events for the 2017 agenda.
Although eye health and care have not been included explicitly in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, eye health resonates with three of these Global Goals. First, with Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-Being that focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. Second, with Goal 4 – Quality Education that aims to provide inclusive and equitable quality education, as well as promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. Third, with Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities, that concentrates in reducing inequality. I would say that eye health is a common denominator for these three goals, and if this topic is brought to the foreground adequately, it is definitely an accelerator of the UN SDGs.
The meeting started with the EYElliance report. EYElliance is a multi-sector coalition: public, private, NGOs, and stakeholders. The report, which was first presented last year at the World Economic Forum, highlights the importance of eye health treatment, such as “correcting people’s vision with eyeglasses advances socioeconomic development.” Pairing these three goals above with the adequate eye health attention would ensure good health and well-being (Goal 3), improve academic performance and consequently better education (Goal 4), and increase productivity at work and reduces inequality (Goal 10). Due to its innovative methods, “Clearly” is perceived to be an SDG accelerator.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) reported that 2.5 billion people around the world suffer from poor vision and have no means of improving it, due to the lack of services available in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, about 90% of the world’s visually impaired are low-income people who have no access to treatment. The World Health Organization estimates that the impact of defective eyesight is about $272 billion, in global productivity alone.
James Chen, the founder of Clearly, talked about himself and his work. He has spent more than ten years working on what he calls “the largest unaddressed disability in the world.” For him, the solution demands bold ideas and cooperation. He partnered up with entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions.
In 2011 James Chen founded Vision for a Nation Foundation. Since then, he has been working with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Former Minister of Health of Rwanda, to build accessible eye care services across the country. Dr. Binagwaho demonstrated the outcome of their partnership. The program has been a tremendous success, delivering right ideas with the right partnersfrom healthcare professionals to NGOs and from government organizations to private investors. Because of “Vision for a Nation”, the Government of Rwanda has been able to provide local and affordable eye care to 100% of the nation’s 10.5 million people.
Last year, James Chen launched the Clearly Vision Prize, a competition to bring new solutions to eye health. This contest gathered more than 200 applications from 24 different countries. The first prize was given to Vula Mobile, a smartphone app conceived in South Africa by Dr. William Mapham. This app connects rural primary healthcare workers with specialists in hospitals.
James Chen concluded that to build an ambitious and successful project, one would need time, long-term commitment and strong partnerships. His focus is on raising awareness and connecting the people with big ideas with the people who can make the ideas happen.
My mother suffers from glaucoma. I was delighted to see eye health addressed in such an efficient and effective response. I do believe that treating eye health properly and fostering awareness of this issue can improve global health, reduce inequalities, and ensure quality education and better development worldwide. I hope the United Nations sheds light upon this global issue that seems to have been left out from the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
This post was written by a guest writer, Patricia Zanini Graca, who is a first-year graduate student at the Seton Hall School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Patricia holds an MBA in Business and Marketing. Patricia is a media associate at the Journal of Diplomacy, and an associate at the Graduate Diplomacy Council. She specializes in International Organizations and Global Negotiations & Conflict Management.