UNGA Side event: Advancing Together: Securing the Global AMR Agenda by Harnessing the Collective Strength of Multi-Sector Partnerships

Thank you to the organizers for the opportunity to speak about the role of agrifood systems and present the work of one of the key multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder global governance bodies for AMR that FAO is hosting. 

AMR is a multidimensional challenge. No single sector, country, or actor can tackle it alone. This is why cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement, commitment, and joint efforts based on the One Health approach are essential. 

AMR poses a profound challenge to global agrifood systems. Without effective antimicrobials to treat and control infectious diseases in animals and plants, our global health, economic prosperity, food security, biodiversity, and ecosystems are all at risk. 

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with animal-sourced foods playing a vital role in providing essential nutrients. 

FAO places One health at the core of its vision for addressing AMR in the agrifood sector. We support over 70 countries in tackling AMR by providing policy and regulatory support, working with farmers to promote the production of safe food through the responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials, improving biosecurity and husbandry practices, building capacities of animal health workers, enhancing vaccination efforts, effectively utilizing surveillance data via the InFARM system to support evidence-based interventions and policy on AMR and AMU in agriculture, food and crops, and working on economic incentives. 

In this regard, we have launched the RENOFARM initiative, a 10-year flagship program aimed at providing concrete support to farmers, producers, and countries to reduce the need for antimicrobials. Collaborating closely with governments, farmers, industry stakeholders, and civil society organizations, RENOFARM will promote the “5Gs” at the farm level: Good Health Services, Good Production Practices, Good Alternatives, Good Connections, and Good Incentives. 

Practical examples of how FAO is supporting countries in this regard is through the delivery of capacity development projects supported by the Republic of Korea for beneficiary countries to apply risk analysis principles to enhance food safety and take action to adopt the Codex Code of Practice to minimize and contain foodborne AMR.   

To foster global multi-sectoral collaboration, AMR Partnership Platform was established by the Quadripartite—FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH—in 2022. This followed a recommendation from the Interagency Coordination Group on AMR (IACG), which was tasked in the wake of the 2016 political declaration to propose practical mechanisms for global improved coordination, communication, and collaboration on AMR. 

Hosted by FAO on behalf of the Quadripartite, the AMR Partnership Platform now brings together over 250 member organizations, federations, and networks working on AMR. 

Today, it is a unique global convening forum that unites stakeholders from all AMR-related sectors—human health, animal health, food and agriculture, the environment—as well as experts from disciplines such as social and economic sciences, different levels – from grassroot to global.