Dubai – It is time for concrete action in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) told the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai on Saturday.
QU Dongyu was invited to provide opening remarks at a high-level side event entitled “Political action for the AMR and environment on the road to the UNGA HLM on AMR in 2024.”
The event focused on preparations for next year’s UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on AMR. It was organized by the Global Leaders Group (GLG) and was facilitated by FAO, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) – collectively known as the Quadripartite.
“Action on the ground. That’s what we need the most,” Qu told the event. “FAO is ready to work with you.”
The panel discussion was moderated by FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo.
Speakers included Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, Chris Fearne, who reminded the audience that AMR is happening now and that it affects both humans, plants, animals and the environment. AMR poses a threat to food security if livestock can no longer be treated, he noted.
Panelist Beatrice Atim Odwong Anywar, Uganda’s Minister of State for Environment and a member of the GLG, spoke about the impact of AMR on her country, noting that addressing AMR requires bold steps from each one of us.
Mohammed Mousa Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Food Diversity Sector at the United Arab Emirate’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, highlighted the links between the climate crisis and AMR.
The climate crisis and AMR are two of the complex threats currently facing the world. AMR contributes to almost 5 million deaths annually, most of which are in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, evidence suggests that changes occurring in the natural environment due to the climate crisis are increasing the spread of infectious diseases, including drug-resistant infections.
FAO held a series of meetings on AMR at its headquarters in Rome this year, including the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in July and the first Plenary Assembly of the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, which produced a series of recommendations on how to tackle the issue.
These include exploring opportunities for greater collaboration between high-income and low-and-middle-income countries; working with farmers to promote biosecurity, animal nutrition and disease prevention to reduce the need for using antimicrobial; and breaking silos in order to produce a unified response.
The impact of AMR
Antimicrobials are agents used to control and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants. They include antibiotics, fungicides, antiviral agents and parasiticides. Disinfectants, antiseptics, other pharmaceuticals, as well as some natural products, may also have antimicrobial properties.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
The issue poses an increasingly visible, urgent and complex threat to global health and development, animal health, food safety and food security, as well as ecosystems.
Climate change, in particular, affects agrifood systems due to shifting rainfall patterns, unpredictable temperatures and a higher incidence of extreme weather events and disasters, including drought and flood. It can damage infrastructure and increase the spread of drug-resistant infections. Water, sanitation, hygiene and wastewater management measures across sectors are crucial to reducing this risk.
FAO supports countries to adapt to and mitigate climate change by reducing or preventing greenhouse gas emissions through its projects and programmes and a wide range of knowledge products. These include a 10-year global initiative to reduce the need for antimicrobials in agrifood systems, and the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring IT platform, which is designed to address the existing information gap in agrifood systems.
