Media briefing calls for driving global awareness on AMR ahead of UN high-level meeting
A global media briefing was held online on September 11, 2024 in preparation for the 2024 high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The briefing, organised by the Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA), aimed to engage journalists and media professionals worldwide, raising awareness about the critical issue of AMR and the forthcoming high-level meeting. This event will take place on September 26, 2024 during the 79th session of the UNGA.
The meeting presents a crucial opportunity for bold and specific commitments to combat the rising threat of AMR, which poses significant risks to human health, agrifood systems and the environment.
The briefing brought together key experts from the quadripartite of the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and United Nations Environment Programme, who are leading global efforts to fight AMR across the One Health spectrum.
Representatives from the WHO Taskforce of AMR Survivors and the Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR also participated. GAMA moderated the event.
Experts emphasised the media’s vital role in raising awareness, shaping public opinion and holding policymakers accountable for their commitments. They highlighted several key areas needing attention, including the necessity for greater investment in AMR responses within the agrifood sector, the environmental dimensions of AMR and a focus on research and development.
Experts underscored the importance of generating evidence to inform policy decisions, the issues of a weak antibiotic pipeline, and the critical need for collaboration across One Health sectors. They also emphasised the need to prioritise infection prevention to reduce antibiotic use and contain AMR.
Jean Pierre Nyemazi, acting director of the Global Coordination and Partnership Department and Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR (WHO), emphasised that the theme for this year’s meeting is Investing in the present and securing our future together: accelerating multisectoral global, regional and national actions to address antimicrobial resistance.
He stressed the importance of financing, effective governance, prevention, research and development and addressing inequitable access, while outlining the recommendations of the Global Leaders Group on AMR for the UNGA high-level meeting.
Junxia Song, representing the FAO, highlighted their two key initiatives: The Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials on Farms for Sustainable Agrifood System Transformation initiative (2023–2032), which aims to reduce antibiotic use in agrifood systems, and the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring system, an information technology or IT platform to assist countries in collating, analysing and utilising their AMR monitoring and surveillance data effectively.
The need for effective cross-sectoral coordination and adequate funding in the animal sector was emphasised by Holy Teneg Akwar, the deputy head of the AMR and veterinary products department at WOAH. He introduced the Veterinary Monitoring and Surveillance System for Substandard and Falsified Veterinary Medicinal Products, a pilot programme launched in 2022 to tackle the prevalence of substandard and falsified veterinary medicines, urging countries to report through the system.
Regarding preventive measures, he added, “We are hoping that if we can enhance access to high-quality veterinary medicines, along with good animal husbandry practices, diagnostics and alternatives to antimicrobials, it will help prevent disease in the first place.”
The discussion also addressed the environmental dimensions of AMR, identifying three major drivers: Pharmaceuticals and chemical manufacturing, agriculture and food production and healthcare systems.
Reflecting on the current state of antibiotic development, Yvan JF Hutin, director of the department of control, surveillance and prevention of AMR at WHO, emphasised the need for conserving the 'reserve' category antimicrobials within the WHO’s Access, Watch and Reserve classification system. He also shared specifics about the WHO’s strategic and operational priorities for 2025-2035 to address drug-resistant bacterial infections.
The briefing further stressed the need to include the voices of AMR survivors and integrate patient perspectives into policy discussions. Involving youth in policymaking and advocacy for tackling AMR was also emphasised.
The event concluded with a call for unified global action to ensure that the commitments made at the upcoming high-level meeting translate into meaningful, sustainable changes on the ground.