Vulnerable women hit by vision, gender and climate impacts

Achieving equity in gender and eye health was discussed at an event about climate change, which was hosted by the UN Friends of Vision Group.

The Countess of Wessex attended in her role as global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and was joined by UN leaders. At the event, it was noted that climate change and eye health were linked by the same cultural, economic and social factors that caused poverty and vision impairment among women and girls.

Jennifer Gersbeck, co-chair of the IAPB gender equity work group, said: ‘It is important for us as a sector to focus on the intersection between vision, gender and climate change and our call for the urgent need to dismantle structural and sociocultural barriers that contribute to keeping women and girls trapped in poverty and disproportionately vulnerable to vision impairment and climate change.’