The United Nations General Assembly will convene a High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) for the second time during its 79th session in New York on 26th September 2024. The theme of the meeting is “Investing in the present and securing our future together: Accelerating multi-sectoral global, regional and national actions to address Antimicrobial Resistance.”
AMR is a significant threat for global health and development, with an estimated 1.3 million deaths directly attributable to AMR in 2019 and nearly 5 million deaths associated with AMR. It is undermining a century of progress in medicine, as infections that were previously treatable and curable with drugs are becoming (or at risk of becoming) incurable. It is aggravated by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and the environment.
The cost of AMR to the economy is significant. In addition to death and disability, prolonged illness results in longer hospital stays, more expensive medicines and financial difficulties for patients. If left unchecked it is projected to cause a GDP shortfall of at least USD 3.4 trillion annually and push 24 million more people into extreme poverty (World Bank, 2017).
The 2016 political declaration of the first High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on AMR was a milestone in the global commitment for greater urgency and action in addressing AMR using a One Health approach.
The upcoming 2024 High-Level Meeting at the UN General Assembly is a pivotal opportunity for world leaders to agree on stronger commitments to save lives; protect countries from the growing impacts of AMR on human health, agrifood system, animals, plants, and the environment; and ensure that effective antimicrobials are available and affordable when needed for current and future generations.
Global Media Briefing on 11th September,2024
The Global Media Briefing will be organised by Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA: www.amrmedia.org ) on 11th September 2024, Wednesday, featuring a high-level panel of experts from Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR and quadripartite agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)). Representatives from WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors and Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR will also be on the panel, followed by an interactive session.