The Global Summit for Eye Health will be a landmark event dedicated to securing high-level commitments from governments and other stakeholders to prioritise eye health within their agendas. As a galvanisation to meet the 2030 In Sight strategic aims, the summit will seek to drive policy change, increase investment in eye care services, and accelerate progress towards achieving universal eye health coverage.

A summit is a high-level meeting where leaders, experts, and stakeholders gather to discuss and address a particular issue or challenge. Summits often aim to achieve concrete outcomes, such as policy agreements, action plans, or increased awareness.

The Summit will take place in St Johns, Antigua and Barbuda and it is scheduled for November 2026. Specific dates within that month will be confirmed by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the coming weeks.

The summit aims to achieve several key objectives, including:

• Galvanise political leadership to agree new national policy goals and commitments
• Mobilise resources and finances to deliver transformational change
• Secure an eye health roadmap and accountability framework.
• Champion technology and innovation in eye health/ eye health as a development priority.

There are several ways to get involved and support the Global Summit for Eye Health in the months ahead:

• Be a Catalyst for Change - Join us as a Visionary Supporter or High Impact Partner and demonstrate your commitment through a dynamic partnership.
• Contribute to Policy - Help craft and execute a powerful policy framework
• Advocate Locally - Drive advocacy activities that will shape the future of global eye health
• Spread the Word - Work with us on days like World Sight Day and our annual event in Nepal to raise awareness
• Empower Through Expertise - Lend your talent by seconding staff to critical Summit roles. We’ll be sharing more on these opportunities in the coming months
• Support Financially - Big or small, a donation or grant towards the Summit will make an important difference

To explore opportunities to support the Summit please get in touch.

Yes there will be opportunities for members to support the summit through funding or seconding staff. As a supporter, partner, donor or advocate of the first-ever Global Eye Health Summit you will help pave the way to reach over 1 billion people without access to eye care. We have the dedicated professionals, effective treatments and technologies to transform eye health around the world. Now is the moment for a bold step forward and we can only do that with our members help. The details regarding funding and secondment opportunities are still being finalised. We will provide more information on the website as it becomes available.

We are aware that the word summit can be used for other meetings, including with the eye health sector. We will of course be exploring strategies such as scheduling the Global Summit for Eye Health at different times and clearly differentiating the focus and objectives.

The summit aims to establish a robust accountability framework to monitor progress and ensure commitments are fulfilled. This framework will involve regular reporting, data collection, and collaboration with national governments and other stakeholders.

The summit will develop a comprehensive policy framework that includes recommendations on a range of subjects. This will be an area where IAPB members can support with their knowledge and expertise.

The governance structure is designed to ensure effective leadership, accountability, and collaboration. It comprises several key components: the IAPB Board provides overall oversight and strategic direction, while the Finance and Audit Committee manages financial aspects and ensures accountability. The Executive Committee handles operational decision-making, and various Summit Committees and Work Groups will focus on specific areas like, policy development, country and institutional engagement, communications and campaigns, and fundraising.