Catalyze June 22

ENVISIONING EYE HEALTH
FOR FUTURE UN
STRATEGIES
A S H L E Y M I L L S ; C E O O F T H E V I S I O N C O U N C I L
Adriana Sifakis:
Recently the United Nations General Assembly resolution made a commitment to eye
care. Can you talk a little bit about that and how the Vision Council plays a role?
Ashley Mills:
Yes, this was thrilling. A year ago, the General Assembly recognized Vision as a catalyst to
achieving the agenda in 2030, and several, if not all of the sustainable development goals.
It's a huge moment for us because it means that all of the world's countries recognize that
Vision has a role to play, and the lead SDG that this resolution recognized was to eradicate
poverty. So when I'm telling you, vision care is healthcare, and it very much is, but that
healthcare has implications far beyond putting a pair of glasses on someone's face. If you
can see, you can work. If you can see it can combat illiteracy, equity, employability, safety,
health, and quality of life, that's all in there, but it was a huge milestone for us. We are part
(Vision Council) of a group called Friends of Vision, a civil society group that supports the
ambassadors who are working on this issue. There's much more to come from us there; the
resolution's a huge step, and the opportunity now is to make sure we work with all of those
governments all around the world to make sure that we're able to actually deliver vision
care and solve these problems.
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