Partnerships as a Means for Co-Creation

Partnerships have long been celebrated as a tool to solve complex global challenges. I have seen this in my years working in public and vision health. Collaborating with partners is key to scaling solutions and encouraging systems change. However, what if we thought of partnerships not just as a chance to work together, but an opportunity to create together?

The potential of partnerships to drive co-creation often goes unnoticed. By fostering collaboration across diverse sectors, these partnerships unlock new ways of thinking and working together. Co-creative partnerships like these can reimagine how solutions are designed and delivered. This is how I see the work of the WHO SPECS 2030 initiative: a collaborative effort that encourages stakeholders to design together to deliver a set of sustainable solutions that improve vision care globally.

Beyond Transactional

Traditional partnerships often focus on pooling resources to achieve a shared goal, with each party contributing based on their strengths. While effective in many cases, this approach can sometimes limit flexibility. Co-creation, on the other hand, can shift the dynamic from dividing responsibilities to blending perspectives, fostering innovation through shared ownership and mutual learning. In vision care, this means moving beyond “who does what” to “how can we create something new together?” When partners combine expertise, resources, and insights, they unlock solutions that neither could achieve alone.

Co-Creation in Action

The concept of co-creation comes to life when diverse stakeholders work hand-in-hand to address barriers in vision care. Take the integration of vision services into universal health coverage (UHC)—a goal championed by WHO SPECS. Achieving this requires governments, private companies, NGOs, and academic institutions to co-design solutions that fit into existing health systems.

Another example is the co-creation of evidence where gaps exist to support Advocacy work. In Latin America, we recently worked with diverse partners on two research studies that fill the evidence gap in that region. Partners including VOSH International, Optometry Giving Sight, the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and the University of Las Americas, examined the vision health of the Guna Indians, Panama’s largest indigenous group. And a second collaboration of research partners from Universidad El Bosque and Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, focused on schoolchildren in Soacha, Colombia. Both studies revealed a need to tackle the issue of myopia in those specific areas setting the stage for action in these very different locations.

Innovation Through Co-Creation

One of the most rewarding aspects of co-creation is its ability to encourage innovation. In vision health, tools like tele-refraction are effective ways to address workforce shortages in underserved areas.

We are seeing this in parts of Kenya and other underserved areas of the world where tele-refraction coupled with the knowledge of a vision care provider, connected in a larger town or city, is allowing expanded service delivery. What I find promising, in this case, is the diversity in the group of stakeholders who are willing to join forces in solving the problem of poor vision, all sharing their unique perspectives and stories.

Rethinking Partnerships

The challenges facing global vision care demand a different way of thinking. After all, as the saying goes, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” For partnerships to work, we must bring our strengths to the table and determine what we can create together, with a shared vision, and a commitment to delivering impact that no single organization could achieve alone.