Antigua and Barbuda will partner with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to host the first-ever Global Eye Health Summit this November, a landmark event aimed at advancing international action on vision care and the prevention of avoidable blindness.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne made the announcement on Wednesday while addressing a gathering via video link at St James’s Palace in London. The summit is scheduled for November 2, taking place alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2026, which will be held in Antigua and Barbuda from November 1–4.

Speaking during the launch event, Browne described eye health as both a humanitarian and economic issue, stressing that the global cost of poor vision extends far beyond individual hardship.

“The challenge related to eye health is not only a profound human challenge—it is an economic one,” the Prime Minister said.

He explained that expanding access to vision care could deliver enormous economic benefits worldwide, including increased productivity, improved educational outcomes and stronger workforce participation.

“The evidence is clear: expanding access to vision care could generate hundreds of billions of dollars in economic returns annually. It would create millions of jobs and unlock substantial gains in education, productivity and wellbeing,” Browne said.

He added that investing in eye health should not be seen as charity but rather as a strategic investment in inclusive development.

“Investing in eye health is not charity. It is an investment in inclusive growth, resilience and shared prosperity—particularly for small states like Antigua and Barbuda,” he noted.

Browne also welcomed the decision by the World Health Organization to serve as co-host of the summit, describing the partnership as a reflection of the growing global recognition of the issue.

“I am delighted to announce that the World Health Organization will serve as co-host of the Summit, reflecting the global significance of this issue,” he said.

The Prime Minister used the platform to call for urgent international action to address preventable vision loss and other eye health challenges affecting millions of people worldwide.

Commenting on the initiative, Peter Holland, Chief Executive Officer of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), said the summit will focus on turning global commitments into concrete action.

“Five years on from the UN Resolution on Vision, the Summit will focus on practical commitments that expand access to affordable, quality eye care services and strengthen health systems to meet rising demand,” Holland explained.

He added that bringing global leaders together in Antigua and Barbuda is intended to encourage governments, businesses and civil society organisations to make measurable commitments toward ending avoidable sight loss.

“By bringing leaders together in Antigua and Barbuda we hope that countries, businesses and civil society will make formal public commitments to take specific actions, allocate resources or achieve measurable targets in pursuit of our shared goal of ending avoidable sight loss,” he said.

Holland further noted that the summit is expected to serve as a global benchmark for accountability, helping ensure sustained progress on eye health initiatives well into the future.

Prime Minister Browne concluded by inviting heads of government, ministers and business leaders from around the world to attend the summit in St John’s and work collaboratively to prioritise eye health on the global development agenda.