Impact Stories

A new peer-reviewed article by the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation (Foundation) in the International Journal of Public Health, an independent society journal of the Swiss School of Public Health highlights the importance of the role of advocacy and addresses the case for advocacy in advancing good vision globally, while, at the same time, making a clear connection to many of the UN sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Titled The Power of Advocacy: Advancing Vision for Everyone to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the article proposes new perspectives for vision advocacy to achieve significant policy change to scale up success by 2030. Specifically, the article explores the role that advocacy can play in addressing the growing global vision challenge and the cost of the issue and its power to galvanize action, drive change and ensure eyesight is a global political, health and development priority. Eva Lazuka-Nicoulaud, the article’s lead author and Head, Advocacy & Partnerships, Europe/Africa at the Foundation says of the work, “Evidence-based advocacy is essential to make good vision a global priority. In this article, we develop the connection between good vision and more than half of the SDGs.” Extensive evidence, provided by The Lancet Global Health Commission, shows that improving eye health contributes directly and indirectly to over half of the UN SDGs including those focused on poverty, hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equity and more. “Aligning with the UN Resolution on Vision: Vision for Everyone: accelerating action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, this article defines a new outlook for the framework and key pillars of advocacy to scale up success by 2030. We propose that addressing poor vision globally can improve poverty, hunger, education, gender equity, economic growth, climate action and more,” says Prof. Kovin Naidoo, Global Head, Advocacy and Partnerships, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and one of the article’s authors. The article’s complete author list includes: Prof. Kovin Naidoo, Eva Lazuka-Nicoulaud, Kristan Gross, Judith Marcano Williams and Andrea Kirsten-Coleman, all of the Foundation.