Antimicrobial resistance has generated an unprecedented amount of global attention since the launch of the Global Action Plan on AMR. Our research explores how global commitments on AMR have changed and adapted since 2015.
The Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance was introduced in 2015 by the AMR Tripartite–the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)–as the “world’s blueprint for tackling the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance”.The GAP contains five key objectives that integrate human, animal and environmental health, also known as a One Health approach.
Since 2015, international agencies, including the AMR Tripartite organisations, the G7 and the G20, have adopted resolutions and made declarations that commit their members to take action in line with these objectives.
Collaborating Researchers
Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, Serena Tejpar, Lindsay Wilson
The GAP objectives represent a positive step towards sustainable progress on addressing AMR. However, for these calls to action to be effective in mitigating AMR, they must be accompanied by effective commitments, accountability standards, coordinated efforts across sectors and concrete operational mechanisms. As a global challenge, AMR needs to be addressed collectively.
This study is the first of its kind to catalogue and assess the scope of AMR-related commitments made by the global community to date. This is a necessary step to measure any progress on goals and identify gaps where more attention is needed. The study identified and categorized 163 global commitments to action on AMR across 19 key documents from May 2015 to June 2021.
Key findings included:
- less global commitment on a proactive prevention- focused approach to AMR compared with research & surveillance and optimising the use of antimicrobials.
- Across One Health sectors, fewer commitments were made for specific action on AMR in the environment.
- Commitments did not evolve into more concrete or nuanced pledges to action between 2015 and 2021.
These findings suggest that the global community may be better placed to accomplish the GAP objectives by developing specific and measurable actions with appropriate indicators to measure success.
Project outputs
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Taking stock of global commitments on antimicrobial resistance
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