WHO urges concrete action on antimicrobial resistance worldwide

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised the need for countries to translate global commitments to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) into concrete action.

It warned that inadequate financing, weak surveillance and poor coordination continue to undermine progress.

The call comes as the world prepares to mark World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), from 18 to 24 November, against the backdrop of an estimated 4.7 million deaths associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2021.

“AMR is one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges. It threatens our ability to treat infections, protect animal and plant health, and produce safe food, and also has an impact on the environment,” said Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, Director a.i. (ad interim) of WHO’s Department of Antimicrobial Resistance.

Mr Nyemazi spoke at the sixth Annual Global Media Forum on AMR, ahead of this year’s awareness week, themed “One Health, One Action: Prevent AMR Now”.

He said the figures represent real consequences for patients, families, farmers and communities, stressing the need to move beyond global commitments to practical action.

“However, let’s be honest. The gap between commitments and pledges versus implementation remains wide,” he said.

At the 2024 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR, world leaders adopted a political declaration committing to reduce deaths from bacterial AMR by 10 per cent by 2030, from a 2019 baseline of 4.95 million.

They also pledged to ensure that at least 60 per cent of countries have funded national AMR action plans by 2030 and called for at least $100 million in catalytic funding, including through the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

Gaps undermining progress

WHO’s Senior Technical Officer and Lead of Multisectoral Coordination in its AMR Department, Kefas Samson, said progress remained uneven across countries.

He identified inadequate financing, gaps in surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and use, weak infection prevention in healthcare facilities, limited diagnostic capacity and unequal access to quality-assured medicines as major challenges.

Mr Samson said WHO is supporting governments to assess their needs, cost interventions and adapt their plans to local circumstances and available resources.

The organisation is also strengthening surveillance to track implementation of the updated Global Action Plan on AMR for 2026–2036 and measure progress towards the 2030 targets.

Other targets include ensuring that 70 per cent of antibiotics used in human health belong to WHO’s Access group, which comprises antibiotics recommended for first- and second-choice treatment of common infections.

Countries are also expected to strengthen their capacity to test for priority bacterial and fungal pathogens, with a target of at least 80 per cent of countries having the required testing capacity by 2030.

Mr Samson described the updated global action plan as a framework for translating the 2024 political declaration into measurable action at country level. The plan adopts a One Health approach, bringing together human, animal, agricultural and environmental sectors.

Livestock, environmental concerns

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) warned that failure to improve animal health and farming practices could further increase antimicrobial use.

Junxia Song, FAO’s Deputy Chief Veterinarian and Chief of its One Health and Disease Control Branch, said global antibiotic use in livestock could rise by nearly 30 per cent by 2040 without intervention.

However, she said improved animal health and farm management practices could reduce antibiotic use by up to 57 per cent.

“Prevention must become central to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance, with farmers placed at the heart of the response,” she said.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also warned that environmental pollution could undermine efforts to contain AMR.

Aitziber Echeverria, UNEP’s AMR Coordinator in its Chemicals and Health Branch, said the environment played a role in the emergence, transmission and spread of drug-resistant microorganisms.

She identified pharmaceutical manufacturing, agriculture and food systems, healthcare, and municipal waste and wastewater management as priority areas requiring intervention.

“The environment and AMR cannot be treated separately. That is the One Health concept,” she added.

Animal health

Jane Lwoyero, a programme officer at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), said investment in preventing animal diseases could generate significant economic returns.

“For every US$1 that is invested in prevention of animal diseases and for better animal health systems, we are assured of getting a return of US$28,” she said.

She said fewer than 20 per cent of WOAH member countries vaccinated animals against notifiable diseases, while animal diseases caused estimated annual losses of up to $300 billion globally.

However, she noted some progress in reducing antimicrobial use in animals. WOAH data showed global antimicrobial use in animals declined by three per cent between 2019 and 2024.

The organisation also reported that 74 per cent of countries did not use antimicrobials for growth promotion. In comparison, 19 per cent still permitted the practice, and seven per cent had not reported their position.

Abuja conference to review global progress

Nigeria is expected to host the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR in Abuja from 6 to 8 December.

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The meeting is expected to review progress, address implementation challenges and renew political commitment to tackling AMR. The updated Global Action Plan for 2026–2036 and the proposed Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR are also expected to feature in discussions, with possible launches at the conference.

Mr Nyemazi said the meeting would provide an opportunity to assess whether global commitments were producing results in communities.

He urged journalists to sustain public attention through accurate and evidence-based reporting.

“You make visible what is often invisible. Your accurate, evidence-based and solution-focused reporting shapes public understanding, sustains political attention and holds all of us accountable,” he said.

The Global AMR Media Alliance Chairperson, Shobha Shukla, said the challenge was no longer simply getting countries to recognise AMR or develop national action plans, but ensuring they had the funding, surveillance systems, laboratory capacity and accountability mechanisms to implement them.

She also called for a people-centred response that prevents “unnecessary antimicrobial use” while ensuring that those who need effective medicines can access them.