Declaration calls for $100 million in funding to combat antimicrobial resistance. World leaders meeting in New York pledge to take action to combat antibiotic resistance Health
On Thursday, at the UN headquarters in New York, world leaders adopted a political declaration in which they committed to achieving specific targets in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, including reducing deaths from it by 10 percent by 2030. The high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance was held as part of the 79th session of the General Assembly: world leaders gathered at the UN for a general policy debate.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the direct cause of 1.3 million deaths each year and a contributing factor to another five million deaths. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites gradually mutate and become less susceptible to drugs, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of spread, severity and death.
The UN agencies that are members of the Quad – the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Agency (UNEP) – welcomed the agreement reached by world leaders today.
“In the century since Alexander Fleming stumbled upon penicillin in a London lab, antibiotics have become a mainstay of medicine, turning once-lethal infections into treatable conditions,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Director-General WHO.
“Antimicrobial resistance threatens to reverse this progress, making it undoubtedly one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Today’s declaration includes vital commitments that, if translated into action, will help monitor and contain AMR, expand access to antimicrobials such as antibiotics, and stimulate the development of new ones,” he added.
What commitments are in the declaration
The declaration calls for $100 million in funding to combat antimicrobial resistance to help countries reach the target of at least 60 per cent of countries funding national action plans to combat AMR by 2030. The increased funding target could be achieved, for example, by diversifying funding sources and attracting more contributors to the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
World leaders pledged that 70 per cent of antibiotics used to treat patients will be chosen from a group of drugs with minimal side effects and a lower potential for AMR.
By 2030, all health care facilities in all countries should have basic water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management services. In addition, commitments have been made to invest in ensuring equitable access to and appropriate use of antimicrobials.
In terms of agriculture and, therefore, food quality, the declaration contains commitments to significantly reduce the amount of antimicrobials used in agriculture and food systems by 2030.
“Our health depends on safe and nutritious food, and food security depends on healthy, stable, resilient and inclusive agriculture and food systems. For almost 79 years, FAO has been committed to its mission to provide safe and nutritious food for all people. “We fully support this declaration,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.
The document also highlights the need to address the release of antimicrobials into the environment, which poses serious health risks (antibiotics, for example, can enter the human body through water).
“There is growing evidence that the environment plays a significant role in the development and spread of AMR, as well as the transmission of pathogens, including between people and from animals to people. Therefore, if we are to reduce the spread of AMR and the risks associated with it, protecting the environment must be part of the solution. Today’s declaration recognizes this need,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
The declaration also formalizes the establishment of a permanent Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR as a central coordination mechanism to support the global response to antimicrobial resistance.