WHO / Carolina Pardal Belinchón

Global SPECS Network

What is the Global SPECS Network?

The Global SPECS Network is a WHO-hosted network of stakeholders whose mission is to support the WHO SPECS 2030 initiative through coordinated advocacy and united action across all sectors.

The primary objectives of the WHO Global SPECS Network are to:

Unify all stakeholders under a common vision of the actions needed to achieve the 2030 global target for refractive error.
Conduct evidence-based advocacy activities that increase support to WHO public health objectives and raise awareness on refractive error.
Strengthen discussion, the exchanging of views, knowledge sharing and facilitating linkages between members of the network on refractive errors.

Terms of reference

To learn more, please read the terms of reference of the WHO Global SPECS Network.

Access the terms of reference here

Membership applications

The Global SPECS Network membership application process is open, and eligible organizations can apply throughout the year.

Please note that the Global SPECS Network has only one intake of members per year, in January, and applications should be submitted well in advance to allow for the due diligence and review process. Only applications submitted by 1 November will be considered for intake the following January.

Please read the terms of reference before applying for more information on the eligibility criteria

Before starting the submission, please prepare the following documents*, in English and PDF format, to be uploaded:

Legal status such as by-laws or constitution,
Governance structure,
Certificate of establishment,
List of names and affiliations of the members of main decision-making bodies such as Board or Executive Board,
Sources of funding (list of donors and sponsors, individual or collective, who donated over USD$ 49,999.99 in the last 3 years),
Report of activities in the field of eye care and/or public health for the last three years (e.g., annual report).

*If you are an intergovernmental organization, such as a UN Agency, a Non-State Actor in official relations with WHO or a WHO Collaborating centre, you do not need to provide the above documents.

Please note that applications from individual private sector companies or entities not actively and internationally working in the field of eye care and/or public health for at least 3 years, will not be eligible for membership.

Apply here

Advocating for refractive error services

Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment in child and adult populations. Globally, it is estimated that only 36% of people with a distance vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to an appropriate pair of spectacles. Significant inequities also exist; spectacle coverage is 6 times lower in low-income countries compared to high-incomes countries.

To confound this problem, the number of people in need of spectacles is expected to increase substantially in the coming decade since presbyopia (2.1 billion in 2030) is part of the ageing process, while increases in myopia (3.36 billion by 2030) in the younger population will be driven largely by life-style related risk factors. Despite the availability of a simple and sight-restoring intervention, such as spectacles, there are several challenges to increasing its coverage.

Members

Why join?

The Global SPECS Network provides an opportunity for your entity to connect, share knowledge and learn with other stakeholders in the sector. As part of the Network, your entity will contribute to raising the profile of refractive error services at global, regional, national, and local levels, and support WHO in its efforts to strengthen refractive error services through advocacy.

Find more about the benefits of becoming a member of the Global SPECS Network here.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for membership, the entity should:

contribute significantly to the advancement of eye care and/or public health and to the objectives, vision and goal of the Network; and,
be actively and internationally working in the field of eye care with proven experience and expertise in the subject matter for at least 3 years.

Membership approval is based on an assessment, due diligence process, and review of information, according to the eligibility criteria and WHO rules and policies.

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