ACT project builds capacity on Codex guidelines to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Cambodia
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute of the General Directorate of the Department of Animal Health and Production in Cambodia is training stakeholders from the livestock sector as part of efforts to improve capacity on Codex Guidelines relevant to antimicrobial resistance and use.
The training is being implemented within the framework of the Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT). This is a project which is supporting the implementation of Codex standards related to the containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as well as monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance.
“This is the first time that we are running this kind of training of trainers session. I urge all participants to try hard to learn the information that is being provided and to become trainers in future. I want to acknowledge partners FAO Cambodia and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea for their support in making this training of trainers a reality. We at NAHPRI-GDAHP will continue to work hard on research development and innovation to combat AMR and to promote responsible use of Antimicrobials,” said Dr. Tum Sothyra, the Director of the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute of the General Directorate of Animal Health and Production.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global threat of increasing concern to human and animal health, which also has implications for food safety, food security and the economic wellbeing of millions of farming households.
“The training course to enhance understanding of the Codex texts related to AMR are very important for participants who will become as the trainers to reach other stakeholders. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of disease spread to others,” saidH.E. Dim Theng, the National Codex Focal Point for Cambodia and the Deputy Director of General of Cambodia Import Export Inspection and Fraud.
He also highlighted how the course addresses the need for in-depth understanding of the multiple aspects of antimicrobial resistance.
“It will enable attendees to develop inter-disciplinary, multi-sectorial One Health responses and interventions to reduce the global threat of AMR,” he said.
The 40 participating stakeholders, veterinary agents and animal farmer trainers, were invited from 20 provinces and engaged in among others, discussions on Codex Guidelines on AMR and AMU as well as other related Codex Texts on Good Hygienic Practices for milk, meat and eggs, General Principle for Food Hygiene, Good Animal Feeding, Maximum Residue Limits for drugs and pesticides use, and the reflection of current Cambodian situation of AMR.
“We initially expected 30 participants, but the number rose to 40. We are impressed with NAHPRI’s coordination and delivery capacity. It reflects the successes from the ongoing collaborative capacity building interventions which we have done on this journey to combat AMR,” said Pisey Oum, Technical Specialist for the ACT project at FAO Cambodia.
The training was titled the Training of Trainers on Animal Health Practices: Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Framework of Relevant Codex Guidelines and was held on 18 and 19 October 2023, in Siem Reap. The trainees will be deployed to train animal raising farmers throughout Cambodia in 2024, with the aim of contributing to reduced use of antibiotics in animal farms and strengthening the enforcement of Codex AMR Texts in Cambodia.
More about the ACT project
Action to support implementation of Codex AMR Texts (ACT), is funded by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea for implementation from 2023 to 2025. Among its objectives is the strengthening of national capacity to manage the development and transmission of foodborne AMR through the adoption and implementation of Codex standards on foodborne AMR. The project is being implemented in Cambodia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Colombia, Peru and is part of the One Health approach to combating AMR.