Developed at the Global Strategy Lab’s AMR Policy Accelerator, the Smart Choice Process (SCP) is a country-led, One Health (OH) multisectoral process designed to assist governments in prioritizing National Action Plan (NAP) interventions in a systematic and transparent way.
Phase 1: Planning
A SCP Core Team is formed, comprised of OH representatives from each relevant sector (human, animal, environment and plant health). This Core Team meets regularly to coordinate workshop logistics and other relevant Smart Choice activities. This includes the provision of an initial list of up to 50 priority AMR interventions and the identification of key partners in country across OH sectors who will be invited to participate in the SCP.
Phase 2: Prioritization
Step 1: Prioritization Scoring Tool
All identified representatives from OH sectors complete the Prioritization Scoring Tool, scoring each intervention based on seven prioritization indicators: cost, impact, timeline, transformative potential, alignment, equity, and root drivers. The results generated ensure that diverse perspectives are considered and inform the multisectoral discussions in Step 2.
Step 2: Multisectoral Discussion
Representatives across OH sectors are invited to deliberate on the priority interventions emerging from the scoring tool. Participants engage in discussions to assess the merits of each intervention that has been categorized across four policy priority axes—Quick Wins, Best Buys, Game Changers and Equity Drivers. Participants are also invited to reflect on other dimensions, such as country context, resources and implementation challenges and enablers. The workshop fosters consensus-building and ensures that a broad range of perspectives are included.
Step 3: Prioritization Ranking
Prioritized interventions are reviewed and ranked by all participants to build final consensus and generate 10-15 priority interventions.
Phase 3: Reporting
A detailed report is prepared, summarizing prioritized interventions. Participants are invited to provide input into the final report, to ensure that the outcomes of the multi-sectoral discussions and prioritized interventions are captured accurately.
Amplifying the Smart Choice Process
Since July 2024, the AMR Policy Accelerator has supported nine countries across Africa to systematically and transparently prioritize National Action Plan (NAP) interventions through multisectoral dialogue, evidence-informed decision-making, and consensus-building.
Building on these insights, the Accelerator is exploring opportunities to amplify the impact of and promote greater accessibility of this process through a facilitator training model. More information on the next steps will be shared as it becomes available.
See below for examples of how participating countries applied the Smart Choice Process in their national contexts.
