Devex

Seeing the Road to UHC:

Eliminating poor vision in a generation

Date

September 24, 2:30-4:00 PM ET

Location

Online

Cohosted by:

Event Overview

It is estimated that more than 2 billion people globally have poor vision, and most do not have access to basic eye care services such as glasses and refraction tests. Growing and ageing populations will require preparedness of health systems to meet these future needs — yet insufficient progress has been made to ensure universal vision.

Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all — and guaranteeing access to quality, accessible, and affordable eye care services is instrumental in helping advance this goal.

With our panel of experts, we’ll discuss how we can overcome obstacles to meeting the 2050 target of universal vision, highlight the need for specific funding, and explore the role of partnerships, awareness raising, and how we can jointly tackle the issue through economies of scale and cross-sector collaboration — using the key findings from evidence-based report 'ELIMINATING POOR VISION IN A GENERATION: What will it take to eliminate poor vision by 2050' as a starting point.

Continue the conversation online using #PutVisionFirst

Speakers

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan

Chief Mission Officer, Essilor

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan is Chief Mission Officer of Essilor International, where he is a member of Essilor International’s Management Committee. Reporting to the chairman, Jayanth is responsible for deploying the Essilor mission of “Improving Lives by Improving Sight” around the world, bringing good vision to everyone in a sustainable, responsible way. He holds a particular focus on the 2.5 billion people who do not have access to proper vision care, 90% of whom live in developing countries. His responsibilities also include oversight of the corporate sustainability and communication functions of the group.

Moderator

Richard Jones

Editorial Director, Devex

In his role as Editorial Director Richard oversees content for digital series, reports and events, leading a talented team of writers and editors, conducting high-level video interviews and moderating panels at events. Previously partnerships editor and an associate editor at Devex, Richard brings to bear 15 years of experience as an editor in institutional communications, public affairs and international development. Based in Barcelona, his development experience includes stints in the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Ecuador, as well as extensive work travel in Africa and Asia.

Nick Martin

Deputy CEO, The Fred Hollows Foundation

Nick Martin is the Deputy CEO of The Fred Hollows Foundation, one of the world’s leading NGOs working to tackle avoidable blindness and vision loss. His work for The Fred Hollows Foundation spans advocacy, global communications and generating resources for in-country programs. The Foundation works in more than 25 countries worldwide, with its global base in Sydney, Australia. Prior to joining The Foundation, he spent 15 years in senior roles in Australian government relations and political communications.

Allyala Nandakumar

Chief Economist, Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, USA and Former Chief Economist for Global Health, USAID

Dr. Nandakumar is a Professor of the Practice at Brandeis University where is the Director of the Master of Science Program in Global Health and Management and is the Director of the Institute for Global Health and Development. Starting January 1st, 2018 Dr. Nandakumar was appointed as the first Chief Economist at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. Prior to that Dr. Nandakumar served for four years as the first Chief Economist for the Global Health Bureau at USAID.

Dr. Serge Resnikoff

Global Health Eye Expert

Prof. Resnikoff is an international expert in global public health, ophthalmology, and eye health. He is a visiting professor at the University of New South Wales and a faculty member at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and of the Universities of Lyon and Paris, France. He also is the President of International Health and Development and the President and Chair of Organisation pour la Prévention de la Cécité (OPC), a nongovernmental organization that is active in the prevention of blindness in francophone Africa.

Hubert Sagnières

Executive Vice-Chairman, EssilorLuxottica & Chairman, Essilor

Hubert Sagnières has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Essilor since January 2, 2012. He joined Essilor in 1989 as President of International Marketing. He served as President of Essilor Canada from 1991 to 1996, then President of Essilor Laboratories of America in 1996 and President of Essilor of America, a position he held until 2005. From 2006 to 2009, Hubert Sagnières was President of Essilor Europe and North America before being named Chief Operating Officer in August 2008, then Chief Executive Officer from January 1, 2010 to January 2, 2012.

Liz Smith

Co-Founder & CEO, EYElliance

Liz Smith, Co-Founder & Chief Executive of EYElliance, has spent the last 12 years working in international development with a focus on inclusive business and increasing access to global markets. Prior to her work with EYElliance, Liz spent 5 years consulting with the UN Office of South-South Cooperation forwarding the work of the Creative Economy for Development Agenda. In 2011 Liz joined VisionSpring as Director of Business Development where she and VisionSpring’s Founder, Jordan Kassalow, began their initial exploration of the viability of a cross sector collaboration to close the gap in access to eyeglasses on a global scale. Liz graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, is a member of the Explorers Club, and is a two time National Geographic Society grant recipient for her work documenting endangered song.