The UK is committed to the aim of the Right to Sight: to eradicate avoidable blindness worldwide by 2020. The UK supported the recent resolution on the prevention of blindness that was passed at the World Health Assembly in May of this year. This resolution encourages a higher level of political, procedural and financial commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness worldwide.
The Department for International Development (DFID) supports developing countries’ efforts to build effective health services able to prevent, diagnose and treat the major causes of ill health, including those which cause avoidable blindness. In 2005-06 DFID provided £415.6 million as direct support to health sectors in developing countries.
In addition, DFID provided £12.5 million in 2005-06 as core support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and £19 million in 2005-06 as core support to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). WHO is a key partner in the Right to Sight, and has established specific disease control programmes such as the Global Elimination of Trachoma. UNICEF works to prevent measles and Vitamin A deficiency, both of which can cause blindness.
Finally, DFID has provided £7.1 million to the Africa Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, which has significantly reduced river blindness in most of West Africa.