From April 8-12, 2024, the Global Strategy Lab brought together global policy and AMR experts at the Bellagio Center in Italy to develop a proposal for a unifying global target (UGT) on antimicrobial resistance. The aim of a UGT is to rally public and political support and spur action by providing the world with a clear barometer on the state of global progress in addressing AMR.
GSL’s Steven Hoffman, Mathieu Poirier, and Susan Rogers Van Katwyk organized and facilitated this convening which welcomed participants from 11 countries (Canada, Denmark, France, India, Italy, Kenya, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, UK, and US). The meeting was unique in that it expanded beyond a human health focus on AMR policy to include research and policy expertise from the animal health and food security sectors.
The Global Strategy Lab at York University has undertaken research on a unifying global target for AMR since 2019, and momentum on the topic has grown significantly this year as we head into September’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on AMR. It is expected that the UNGA’s High-Level meeting will reinvigorate AMR action, which is vital given AMR kills over 1 million people annually and has a huge impact on global development – slowing or reversing progress on at least 12 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
During the event, participants distilled learnings from climate communications and global health campaigns, as well as discussed draft proposals meant to spark conversation on possible unifying global targets. After significant discussion and debate the group came together on a UGT proposal, and work is actively underway to develop joint products to share the proposal more widely.
This event was made possible through a generous convening grant awarded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
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