Essilor celebrates United Nations’ recommendation to governments to ensure good vision of all road users

(Charenton-le-Pont, 18 May 2020) – Effective April 1^st, 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. 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

This historic achievement builds on the 3^rd 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 1^st, 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.

With up to 90% of the information needed to take safe decisions on the road coming through our eyes, good vision is a critical factor for the safety of drivers, bikers, cyclists and pedestrians of all age. However, there is still a substantial lack of awareness about the importance of good vision and, access to sustainable eye care remains limited in large parts of the world, with 1 in 3 people still suffering from uncorrected poor vision. Hence, regular vision screenings are a crucial step.

As announced during the Ministerial lunch at Stockholm, Essilor officially joins the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) through a US$200,000 cash contribution, becoming UNRSF donor as of 5^th 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. By joining the UNRSF, Essilor reinforces its long-term commitment to contribute to safe mobility across the globe and will continue to innovate for solutions allowing road users to check, correct, protect and enhance their vision.

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.”

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About the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of the United Nations
The Inland Transport Committee (ITC) is the United Nations platform for inland transport to help efficiently address global and regional needs in inland transport. ITC is serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
In the course of the last 72 years, together with its subsidiary bodies, the ITC has provided an intergovernmental forum, where United Nations Member States and other relevant stakeholders come together to forge tools for economic cooperation and negotiate and adopt international legal instruments on inland transport.
These legal instruments are considered indispensable for developing efficient, harmonized and integrated, safe and sustainable inland transport systems.
Find here:  “ITC Recommendations for Enhancing Road Safety Systems”, adoption release.

About the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNSRF)
The creation of the UNRSF as a UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund in April 2018 has been a historic step in the fight for road safety, as requested in the resolution 70/260 adopted during the UN General Assembly in April 2016.
The Fund was created to finance actions in low- and middle-income countries to a) substantially reduce death and injuries from road crashes, and b) reduce economic losses resulting from these crashes.
As a unique and multi-stakeholder financing instrument, the Fund gathers concerned UN organizations, governments, private sector, academia and civil society under one umbrella and for common purpose.
The secretariat of the Fund is hosted in Geneva by the UNECE. Its administrative agent is the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in New York.
For more information, please visit: www.unece.org/unrsf/

About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Essilor partnership

In 2017, Essilor and the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile)  partnered to lead the fight against the lack of awareness on the crucial link between vision and road safety, through the joint promotion of the FIA-created “Check your vision” golden rule, which stands together with other main risk factors on the road (speed, buckle seat belts, mobile phone usage, check tyres, etc). Their wide awareness campaigns have called public and stakeholders to join and take action

About Essilor
Essilor International is the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company. Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its mission is to improve lives by improving sight. To support this mission, Essilor allocates more than €200 million to research and innovation every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Its flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Transitions®, EyezenTM, Xperio®, Foster Grant®, BolonTM and Costa®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor International is a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica. The EssilorLuxottica share trades on the Euronext Paris market and is included in the Euro Stoxx 50 and CAC 40 indices. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESLX.PA; Bloomberg: EL:FP.
For more information, please visit www.essilor.com

CONTACTS

Corporate Communications Ginette De Matteis Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 77 45 02

Media relations Maïlis Thiercelin Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 77 45 02

Attachments

• Global Ministerial Conference Road Safety Stockholm 2020
• Importance of vision for road safety
• ESSILOR_Road Safety Fund
• Essilor_Press_Release_UN_Recommendation_Road Safety_18_May_2020_OK_