Prerecorded Statement by H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
24 February 2021
Chairs, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the opportunity to address the ‘Friends of Vision’. I commend the group, and in particular the Co-Chairs, for continuing to elevate the importance of this issue, especially now in the context of the global pandemic.
Like so many others living with a disability, the loss or impairment of eyesight has a direct impact on health, productivity, and well-being.
As it stands, over 2 billion people globally have a vision impairment and of these, at least 1.1 billion are living with vision loss because they do not have access to basic eye care services. This costs the global economy $411 billion annually in productivity losses.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities in our world and highlighted the gaps that exist – those living with disabilities are clearly amongst those being left behind. The disruption of healthcare systems, combined with a socio-economic system that has had to adapt, rather quickly and abruptly to online and remote formats, has left those with vision impairment scrambling to adjust. We must extend our hands and our support now, in this time of need, more than ever.
Excellencies,
Vision cuts across a plurality of the Sustainable Development Goals:
- Eye health is key to ensuring good health, mental health and well-being. Poor eye health leads to an increased risk of mortality, of non-communicable diseases, and of mental disorders like depression and anxiety.
- Eye health has been shown to boost school enrollment, and, similarly, strengthens gender empowerment, as 55% of people with vision loss are women and girls.
- And supporting those with vision impairment helps to reduce inequalities, as 90% of all those with untreated vision loss reside in low- and middle-income countries. Those without access to eye care services include people living in rural areas, those with low incomes, women, older people, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, refugees and internally displaced persons and migrants.
Excellencies,
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities in our world and highlighted the gaps that exist – those living with disabilities are clearly amongst those being left behind. The disruption of healthcare systems, combined with a socio-economic system that has had to adapt, rather quickly and abruptly to online and remote formats, has left those with vision impairment scrambling to adjust. We must extend our hands and our support now, in this time of need, more than ever.
It is time for concrete actions, solutions and partnerships to mobilize all necessary resources. We need stronger integration of eye care within national health services, including at primary healthcare level, to ensure that the eye care needs of more people are addressed through prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation.
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. We will not regain progress on the SDGs or the Decade of Action if we fail to accommodate those with special needs. It is imperative that our efforts to recover from COVID-19 and to speed-up support to the SDGs, and Universal Health Care in particular, include support to vision impairment.
Allow me to commend, once again, the UN Friends of Vision for taking the lead on eye health issue within the UN. Trust that you have my complete support in your efforts to include vision in the upcoming discussions around Universal Health Care, and in the draft resolution on eye health.
Thank you.
