WORLD SIGHT DAY COALITION ESTABLISHES VISION 2020 CANADA

CNIB to Lead Canadian Arm of Global Right to Sight Initiative

TORONTO, Sept. 29 /CNW/ - Canada's World Sight Day Coalition is pleased to announce it has formally established itself as VISION 2020 Canada with John Rafferty, President and CEO of CNIB, as its inaugural chairperson. Vision 2020 Canada will join other countries around the world in a united effort to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

"Vision 2020 Canada's mandate will be to foster greater collaboration and education among organizations and governments in Canada on issues related to vision health and preventable blindness," said Mr. Rafferty. "As we prepare for our inaugural committee meeting this fall, we anticipate engaging in the first of many discussions on how Canada can contribute to achieving Vision 2020's goal of eliminating preventable blindness by 2020."

VISION 2020 Canada members are non-governmental organizations that share a commitment to blindness prevention. The growing list of members includes the World Blind Union, Operation Eyesight Universal, University of Ottawa Eye Institute and Christian Blind Mission Canada.

On Tuesday, October 5 at Parliament Hill (4 p.m., Room 256, South Centre Block), VISION 2020 Canada will be joining Members of Parliament, Ministers of the Crown, Senators and key representatives from Health Canada at a special reception to help pre-launch World Sight Day 2010 and discuss progress made in advancing the Right to Sight initiative.

For more information on Vision 2020, please visit http://www.vision2020.org

About Vision 2020
VISION 2020 is the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness, a joint programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) with an international membership of NGOs, professional associations, eye care institutions and corporations.

About World Sight Day
World Sight Day is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October, to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. 2010 marks a mid-point in the 20-year initiative.

About CNIB
CNIB passionately provides community-based support, knowledge and a national voice to ensure Canadians who are blind or partially sighted have the confidence, skills and opportunities to fully participate in life. To find out more, visit www.cnib.ca or call 1-800-563-2642.

For further information:

Melita Vega
Manager, Communications
CNIB
T: [phone] ext. 7715
E: [email protected]