Working together to end avoidable blindness
Good eye health is a major global challenge, yet broad awareness of its importance as a global health issue and its social and economic benefits is lacking. By establishing and growing partnerships with the United Nations, World Health Organization, and key civil society and eye health partners, we can integrate eye health into global agreements, research, tools, policies, and practices at the local level. Together, we build sustainable solutions by leveraging the strengths of global, regional, and local organisations.
Our global goals
We aim to elevate eye health as a social, economic, and development issue to unlock political will and resources. The Foundation will advocate for eye health in health and other sectors, demonstrating its importance through program evidence and investment cases. Together, with our global partners, we will promote stronger planning and governance around resources, encourage multi-sectoral systemic action, and address the barriers that women and girls face in accessing eye health services.
Our partnership with the United Nations
We hold a special status with the United Nations which helps our efforts to integrate eye health into the broader sustainable development agenda. Working with the UN Friends of Vision group, which is a group of UN Member States consisting of country representatives, including at Ambassador level, from more than 60 countries. The UN Friends of Vision group aims to advance the issue of eye health within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to raise its profile on the international agenda, and to share knowledge from the sector with and among Member States. It has developed a strong and credible voice in UN political processes.
Our partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO)
The Fred Hollows Foundation holds a formal relationship with the World Health Organization, known as 'official relations status’. This prestigious status, endorsed by the WHO Executive Board and reviewed every three years, allows us to develop formal collaboration plans, attend WHO governance meetings, and enter donor agreements. These opportunities enable us to financially support strategic projects and drive the global agenda for eye health through the premier global health body. As part of this agreement, we also work with regional WHO bodies in the Western Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean, African, and Pan-America.
Strategic collaboration
Develop formal plans to align our efforts with WHO’s global health priorities.
Governance engagement
Participate in key WHO meetings to influence eye health policies.
Targeted support
Establish donor agreements to fund essential eye health initiatives.
Other UN bodies we engage with include:
UN Women:
Partnering to launch a landmark policy brief that calls for urgent action to address the gender gap in eye health.
International Labour Organisation (ILO):
The Foundation recognises the critical link between eye health and productivity.
UNICEF:
The Foundation ensures that children can access eye health services and the visual assistive technology devices (like glasses) that they need.
UN Development Program (UNDP):
Working in partnership with UNDP in Bangladesh on systems leadership including establishing a Systems Leadership Network Weaver role to engage eye health and non-eye health stakeholders in addressing the sustainable integration of eye health in the country.
Working with civil society
Our partnerships with wider civil society, Trusts and Foundations and wider health sector bodies play a crucial role in advancing our efforts to end avoidable blindness and improve eye health globally. We are proud to partner with renowned organisations that share our vision
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ACFID:
The Fred Hollows Foundation actively engages with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) as a committed member, upholding the ACFID Code of Conduct to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical practices. Through this partnership, The Foundation contributes to collective advocacy efforts to influence Australian government policies on international development, particularly in global health and disability inclusion. The Foundation also benefits from ACFID’s capacity-building programs and networking opportunities, which enhance its effectiveness and enable collaboration with other NGOs to amplify the impact of its mission to end avoidable blindness. -
Alliance for Gender Equality and Universal Health Coverage:
We are one of 165 member organisations representing 58 countries to push for gender responsive Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in policies, programs, and dialogue. -
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- The Foundation is a member of the wider BOND network in the UK and also a member of the SDG Steering Committee representing eye health in SDG focussed international development discussions.
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HelpAge International:
HelpAge International is an international NGO that is part of a global network of organisations that helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination, and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. The Foundation collaborates with this organisation on projects and initiatives related to older populations. -
International Federation of Ageing:
The IFA is an international non-governmental organization with a membership base of NGOs, industry, academia, government, and individuals. IFA envisions a world of healthy older people whose rights and choices are protected and respected. The Fred Hollows Foundation has partnered with IFA to advance work on ageing and older populations, including the development of a report that makes the linkages between healthy ageing and vision. - The Foundation is a member of the NCD (Noncommunicable Disease) Alliance, a global network which includes over 65 national and regional alliances and over 300 members in 80 countries dedicated to improving noncommunicable diseases prevention and control worldwide.
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Together 2030:
We are members of this global, action-oriented initiative which aims to generate and share knowledge on the implementation and accountability of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. It enables us to project our voice on eye health, with other civil society organisations, on the challenges and opportunities of implementing this Agenda and ensuring civil society is contributing in a meaningful way. -
Women in Global Health:
The Foundation sits on the Global Steering Committee ensuring women’s leadership in health and eye health is prioritised. We are also members of country Chapters where we have a presence.
Our eye health partners
The Fred Hollows Foundation collaborates with the wider eye health sector to improve global eye health outcomes.
International Coalition for Trachoma Control (ICTC)
Working to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem by 2030.
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
An alliance for the global eye health sector, with more than 250 organisations in over 100 countries, working together for a world where everyone has universal access to eye care.
Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network (NNN)
A global forum for NGOs to contribute to the global control, elimination, and management of consequences of NTDs.
Sightsavers, CBM, Orbis, HKI
Our partnerships with other eye health organisations underscores the sector’s shared mission to work collaboratively to support developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness and promote equity for people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
You have got to get people involved, you have got to mobilise them, you have got to make the healthy system part of them.
