The House of Lords will host a landmark global commemoration of the International Day for a World Without Childhood Blindness on January 31, 2026.
This marks 49 years of “transformative, on-ground impact by the Eye Foundation of America (EFA) for children since 1977—largely across India and Africa,” a Jan. 21, press release from Eye Foundation of America (EFA) said.
The keynote address at the event will be delivered by United Nations Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee. The Resident Coordinator (RC) plays a central role in making possible the coordination of UN operational activities for development at the country level in support to national priorities and capacity building. Chatterjee reports to the Secretary-General, and ensures effective advocacy of the core values, standards, principles, and activities of the UN system.
“A world without childhood blindness is not an aspiration—it is an achievable global development goal. When we protect a child’s sight, we protect education, dignity, and the future of nations,” Chatterjee said in a statement.
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“His participation reflects the growing global consensus that vision is foundational to learning, human capital formation, and inclusive growth,” EFA said.
Hosted at the House of Lords, the event plans to bring together senior leaders from the United Nations system, global philanthropy, Rotary and Lions leadership, diplomats, policymakers, clinicians, CSR heads, and youth champions—all committed to ending preventable childhood blindness worldwide.
Chatterjee’s address will highlight the urgency of integrated public health action, scalable partnerships, and outcomes-driven investment—calling for governments, multilaterals, and the private sector to accelerate proven models that protect sight early in life, the press release said.
The EFA said it has led “pioneering, community-rooted programs—saving and restoring sight for millions of children through neonatal screening, pediatric eye care, capacity building, and systems strengthening,” over the last nearly 5 decades. It added that EFA’s work “has demonstrated that early detection and timely intervention can change the trajectory of a child’s life—and a nation’s future.”
The January 31 commemoration also reinforces a global call to action: institutionalize childhood blindness prevention within national health systems and CSR frameworks, and rally the world toward a future where no child is needlessly blind, the EFA said.
The International Day for a World Without Childhood Blindness
is observed on January 31, advocating for governments, multilaterals, civil society, and the private sector to advance solutions that eliminate preventable childhood blindness and secure every child’s right to sight.