Advancing the One Health response to Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial drugs play a critical role in the treatment of diseases. Their use is essential to protect both human and animal health. However, antimicrobials are often misused for treatment and prevention of diseases in the livestock sector, aquaculture as well as crop production, increasing the potential risk of emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms. To discuss this, FAO, the South Centre and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) co-organized a webinar on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): “Advancing the One Health response to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)” with the participation of the European Medicine Agency (EMA).

Increasing resistance to current antimicrobials (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and anti-parasitics) puts health at risk on a global level. Within the next ten years, antimicrobial use for livestock alone is projected to nearly double to keep pace with the demands of the growing human population, sparking fear that it will increasingly spread through the food chain and the environment.

To address AMR, it is necessary to use a "One Health" approach with integrated and coordinated action across the interconnections between humans, animals and the environment. The event raised awareness on the importance of a One Health approach. Participants also took the opportunity to share the latest information and good practices on AMR. FAO presented the organization’s work on the new AMR work plan 2021-2025 which works to achieve better governance, the responsible use of Antimicrobials, awareness-raising, surveillance and promotion of good practices to avoid the use of Antimicrobials.

The session also discussed FAO tools to monitor AMR for both national governments and laboratories, as well as the technical support the Organization provides to a One Health Approach and the work in developing countries performed under the Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

Head of veterinary medicine at the European Medicine Agency, Ivo Claassen underlined the European Union’s commitment to fighting AMR, by giving incentives to stimulate innovation in veterinary medicine and promoting EU guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials. He pointed out that the recently adopted EU Regulation on veterinary medicinal products that will enter into force in 2022, will complement the EU Farm to Fork Strategy that aims to reduce by 50% the use of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2030.

The FAO/WHO Centre based in Geneva was set up in 2020, working on zoonotic diseases, AMR and One Health. FAO works on AMR under the Tripartite Secretariat with World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joining the discussion when targeting environmental impacts. The tripartite launched a report on international instruments on the use of AMR across the human, animal, plant sectors.

More information on FAO’s work on AMR is available here.