2025 Committee Member Appointments
The WCO has three (3) standing committees:
- Education
- Legislation, Registration and Standards
- Public Health
This year each committee has four (4) open committee member positions in which WCO members in good standing are eligible to apply to participate. A member is in good standing if they have paid their 2025 WCO membership fee.
The Committee Member Roles, Responsibilities and Eligibility Criteria are outlined below.
Standing Committee Member Description
The Standing Committee members play an integral role in the World Council of Optometry. Through their
collaborative effort, WCO facilitates the development of optometry around the globe. The Committee member
must be able to contribute to and support the work of WCO and the Committee. The member must be committed
to and understand their roles and responsibilities. The WCO Committee Member position is an unpaid volunteer role.
Term Length
Committee Members are appointed for a two-year term (2025 – 2027). Members may serve on the committee for a maximum
of three consecutive terms, following which a member can be re-appointed after a break of at least one (1) year.
Roles and responsibilities
- To support WCO’s Mission and Vision
- To actively contribute and participate in discussions, planning, decision-making, and execution of
Standing Committees’ initiatives, projects and programs
- To attend and participate in all Standing Committee meetings. Any member who is absent without good
reason for two consecutive meetings will be deemed to have resigned from the Standing Committee.
- To help promote the Committees’ initiatives, projects, and programs in your personal and professional
circles
- To develop a positive and professional relationship with members of all WCO committees, officers, board
directors and staff
Essential Qualities of a Standing Committee Member
- A personal commitment to WCO by actively attending meetings, participating in discussions, volunteering
to move the vision and mission of WCO forward
- Ability to identify the significance of issues as they arise
- Ability to communicate effectively and exercise professionalism, diplomacy, and discretion when
conducting his/her responsibilities
- Impartiality, fairness, and the ability to maintain confidentiality
- Good independent judgement i.e., acting in the best interests of the organization.
- Ability to think strategically and creatively in terms of long-term planning and organizational growth
- Ability to participate in meetings where English is the official language
Eligibility Criteria
- Must either be a member of a WCO Country Member/Affiliate Member or a WCO Individual Member in
good standing. Good standing means you or your organization have paid your WCO Membership dues this
year. Aside from considering diversity, equity and inclusion in the committee member lineup, priority will
also be given to applicants who are members of a WCO Country Member in good standing.
- Must qualify as an optometrist by WCO’s definition:
Optometry is a healthcare profession that is autonomous, educated, and regulated(licensed/registered), and optometrists are the primary healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual system who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes refraction and dispensing, detection/diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and the rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system. An optometrist has successfully undertaken an advanced level of relevant higher education, with the award of a bachelor’s degree or higher from a tertiary-level educational institution.
- Must not have been convicted of any serious crimes or offenses or demonstrated unethical and/or
unprofessional behavior and must disclose to the WCO Office any pending lawsuits against them to
ensure that there are no reasonable concerns about their ability to perform their duties responsibly and
ethically. Any disclosures shared with the WCO Office will remain confidential.
Committee members are appointed based on several factors such as the strength of application, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). WCO strives to ensure that diversity and the needs of each committee are met. If you have questions regarding eligibility or the selection process, please contact us at
enquiries@worldoptometry.org.
The application period will open from July 01, 2025 (12:00AM GMT-5 | US Central Time) until July 22, 2025 (11:59PM GMT-5 | US Central Time)
