The ministers also recognised the need for developing novel antimicrobials
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat, estimated to have caused about five million deaths worldwide in 2019. Photo: iStock The two-day G20 health ministers meeting concluded in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on August 19, 2023. The ministers met in order to discuss major issues and challenges pertaining to global health.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was part of one of the three key health-related priority areas of the meeting set under India’s G20 presidency.
The priority areas included: Health emergency prevention, preparedness and response (with focus on One Health & antimicrobial resistance); strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures (vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics); and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.
The G20 health ministers also adopted the Outcome Document, which was unanimously agreed to by all G20 delegations (except one geopolitical paragraph on Ukraine) and reflected their commitment to building a healthier tomorrow for all. As part of this document, G20 members committed to tackling antimicrobial resistance comprehensively following the One Health approach.
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat, estimated to have caused about five million deaths worldwide in 2019. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop resistance against the antimicrobial drugs and can no longer be inactivated or killed by the drug. About 1.3 million deaths were directly attributed, in particular, to antibiotic resistance, which is the resistance of a bacteria developed against antibiotics.
Towards addressing AMR, the health ministers stressed on infection prevention and control; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); research and development; improving AMR awareness; promoting appropriate antimicrobial stewardship across human, animal and plant sectors; improved surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial consumption, and optimal use of this data to inform policy and action; promoting appropriate use and equitable access of antibiotics for all, and strengthening multi-sectoral governance and coordination.
The ministers also recognised the need for developing novel antimicrobials guided by the Critically Important Antimicrobials list by the World Health Organization (WHO), the equivalent national prioritisation lists and the WHO AWaRe list.
The role of various international push and pull mechanisms, including initiatives such as SECURE, CARB-X and GARDP to promote R&D on novel antimicrobials was welcomed by the ministers. They also highlighted the importance of a sustained and reliable supply, as well as sustainable production of existing antimicrobials, by incentivising the production of affordable generic antimicrobials and advancing appropriate usage / antimicrobial stewardship principles.
The ministers also agreed to continue to support collaboration and coordination in research and development on AMR, such as the work done by the Global AMR R&D hub.
For implementation of AMR national action plans, the importance of allocating funds from domestic mechanisms as well as global financial instruments like the Global Fund, Pandemic Fund and AMR-specific mechanisms such as the Quadripartite AMR Multi Partner Trust Fund, was highlighted upon.
Future events such as the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR in September 2024 and the fourth international ministerial conference on AMR at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2024 can help continue the momentum and progress on combating AMR globally, the G20 leaders noted.
They also extended support for the ongoing negotiations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for a legally binding WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response that is considering provisions on AMR as well.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.