Inaugural Meeting of the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

Inaugural Meeting of the
One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

Remarks by FAO Director-General Dr Qu Dongyu

26 January 2021

Transcript

 

Excellency Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados,

Excellency Sheikh Hasina Wazed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh,

And also dear Colleagues,

From WHO, DG, my brother Tedros,

And also Madame Monique, she is the DG of OIE,

And also newly joined, Ms. Inger Andersen, she is the ED of UNEP,

And all the Members of the One Health Global Leaders Group on AMR,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am very pleased to be with you today at this inaugural meeting.

2. COVID-19 is teaching us many lessons – one is the inter-connectedness of the agri-food and health systems at every level –this is very relevant to managing AMR.

3. Our work within the Tripartite has been significant – and now, with your help, we can take these efforts to a new level, for even greater impact.

4. FAO is working together with all Members for the four betters – better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life. Controlling AMR is important to securing the "four betters".

5. We welcome you, distinguished Group Members, as you join us in addressing AMR, this most complex global threat, and assist us to deliver better on our commitment in the five priority areas.

6. By making your highly respected voices heard, you increase awareness and foster the behaviour change needed to promote prudent use of antimicrobials.

7. Our collective mission is to ensure concrete actions are in place in this battle against AMR.

8. It might seem challenging to capture the attention of political leaders’ and the general public on the risks posed by AMR; in the midst of this pandemic, where all the attention is concentrated on stopping the virus and recovering from the crisis it has generated.

9. I am, however, convinced that it is also an opportunity, as we are all more sensitized to the fragility of our health systems and the need to collectively tackle any threats to them by a holistic way, and also consistent way, and also by a collective way.

10. And AMR, this slow-moving pandemic, is a serious threat because people didn’t realize once it suddenly happened. A lot of things change by quantitative accumulation, not always by quantitatively suddenly happening.

11. We look forward to this Group demonstrating strong leadership and advancing the global response to AMR, by sustaining the political momentum, building public support and mobilizing resources at all levels.

12. There is no time to waste. History tells us, any crisis prevention and management should come to the scientific-based, professional evidence, and also political commitment.

13. Let’s join our forces and work together - All for One Health - and One Health for All!

Thank you, over to you.