The Chittagong conference, organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and attended by representatives of the WHO, saw Dr Ivo Kokur, of WHO, present the VISION 2020 Action Plan 2006-2011. The IAPB board formally accepted this first phase of the fifteen year plan and heard submissions on the progress of VISION 2020 as well as discussing future actions.

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, is a global initiative of the IAPB and WHO, developed with the aim of eliminating avoidable blindness throughout the world by the year 2020. It acts to raise awareness of vision impairment and provides a means of developing and establishing comprehensive national eye care plans, via partnerships between Ministries of Health, NGOs, professional organisations and civil society groups.

Professor Brien Holden, a member of the IAPB Board of Trustees, Chair of the WHO Refractive Error Working Group and CEO of the Institute for Eye Research, attended the meeting. The IAPB has played a major role in the development and implementation of blindness prevention plans.

Professor Holden observes, “We are ten years into the VISION 2020 programme with 12 years to go. The pace of development efforts is really picking up. Over 100 countries now have National Blindness Prevention Plans – thanks to the efforts of all in the IAPB – and every country has to report back to the World Health Assembly in 2010 on their progress.”

During the meeting the IAPB announced the appointment of a new CEO, Dr Larry Hansen. The IAPB was established to lead and co-ordinate international efforts to prevent blindness. Its members include professional associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), education institutions and other interested individuals.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates the number of blind people in the world today stands at 37 million. Without a co-ordinated international response this is expected to grow to 76 million by 2020. An additional 277 million people suffer from significant vision impairment. Importantly, 75% of worldwide blindness is avoidable.

Bangladesh Health Secretary, Zafar Ullah Khan, chairman of the National Committee of Blindness Prevention attended the conference, drawing attention to vision impairment in South East Asia and in particular Bangladesh, a nation with extreme rates of blindness among children and adults.

A general assembly meeting of the IAPB will be held in August 2008 in Argentina to make a comprehensive assessment of the progress of VISION 2020 and to consider future directions.

A full copy of the Vision 2020 2006-2011 Action Plan can be found at: http://www.v2020.org