The success of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight rests on coordinated action by different sections of government, civil society, international partners, donors and the private sector. Countries are advised to set up a national coordinating mechanism, or a Committee, to develop a national plan and oversee activities for blindness prevention.
Specifically, ‘Towards Universal Eye Health: a Global Action Plan 2014-2019’ (adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2013) calls on all countries to ‘establish or maintain coordinating mechanisms to oversee and monitor implementation of policies, plans and programmes for eye health’.
This document is a guide for good practice. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) recognizes that resources and situations differ from country to country and that one model will not work everywhere. Stakeholders in each country should assess needs and strengths – along with obligations contained in the Global Action Plan – to develop a plan and establish a Committee that meets local requirements.