Essilor Celebrates United Nations’ Recommendation to Governments to Ensure Good Vision of All Road Users
Friday, May 22 2020 | 10 h 39 min | News
Essilor celebrates this major milestone, an incentive to generalise eye tests and facilitate access to eyecare, and reinforces its commitment towards safe mobility, as a vision care leader and as a donor to the United Nations Road Safety Fund.
Effective April 1st, the call to ensure good vision for all road users in the world is now part of the “ITC Recommendations for Enhancing National Road Safety Systems”. The recommendations were adopted by the governments at the Inland Transport Committee (ITC), the United Nations’ regulatory platform in the field of inland transport.
This historic achievement builds on the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in Stockholm last February, where main representatives of governments, public and private sectors called for a precise framework to achieve the United Nations’ road safety-related 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Following the Stockholm declaration, the “ITC recommendations for Enhancing National Road Safety Systems”, which came into effect on April 1st, represent a major guide towards road safety across the globe. It particularly calls countries to adopt specific rules to ensure appropriate vision for all road users as an important lever to achieve this goal.
Essilor officially joins the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) through a US$200,000 cash contribution, becoming UNRSF donor as of 5th May 2020. It is a major milestone following the successful collaboration with the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile)* since 2017 promoting the golden rule “Check your vision” for all road users.
As part of its efforts, and as countries gradually lift their lockdown restrictions in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Essilor Group will be launching an international public campaign entitled “On the Road again” in June 2020. Driven by the hashtag #MaxVisionMaxSafety, it will encourage drivers, bikers, cyclists and pedestrians to enjoy the recovered mobility safely with optimal vision.
David Navarro, VP Vision & Road Safety at Essilor, declared: “In a world where people are preparing to get back on the road in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the recommendations of the United Nations come at a very timely moment. Along with the fundamental role of good vision for all road users, this set of rules is a real game-changer, enabling countries to adapt their national policies accordingly. As a vision care leader and member of the UNRSF, we are thrilled to contribute to safe mobility by boosting awareness, innovation, access to vision tests and vision care everywhere around the globe, in line with our mission of improving lives by improving sight.”
Click HERE for the full press release.
