In a major boost to combat one of the gravest risks to global health a dedicated funding vehicle allowing partners to devote resources to accelerate global action against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was unveiled at a Ministerial Conference.
The Tripartite – a joint effort by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which is being supported by an initial contribution of $5 million from the Government of the Netherlands.
The AMR Trust Fund has a five-year scope, through 2024, and aims to scale up efforts to support countries to counter the immediate threat of AMR, arguably the most complex threat to global health.
Antimicrobial resistance refers to the natural ability of bacteria and other microbes to develop resistance to the medicines we use to treat them, and the process is accelerated by inappropriate or excessive use of pharmaceutical products designed to kill unwanted pathogens in humans, animals and crops. In particular, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human and animal health is fueling resistance.
The rise of AMR poses a threat described as a “silent tsunami”. Drug-resistant microorganisms now account for an estimated 700,000 deaths a year, a figure that could increase to 10 million deaths each year if no action is taken.
“Combating antibiotics resistance is fundamentally a behavior change issue. I’m not talking about washing hands more often, but about ensuring antibiotics are prescribed less readily and that work methods are changed to reduce the chance of resistant bacteria spreading,” said the Netherlands Medical Care and Sports Minister Bruno Bruins. “This topic is so important that it deserves to stay at the top of the international political agenda. Countries have made outstanding plans and it’s time now to carry them out. The Multi-Partner Trust Fund that we’re launching today will help us do this because the problem is too big for countries to tackle alone,” he added.
“Antimicrobials are necessary tools to ensure food security, but they need to be used in a responsible way. FAO considers the Multi Partner Trust Fund as a milestone in our Tripartite efforts to reduce AMR, said FAO Deputy-Director General, Climate and Natural Resources Maria Helena Semedo.”
The immediate funding appeal is for $70 million, to be used to support countries and the implementation of the Tripartite’s AMR Workplan 2019-2020, particularly in providing technical support to countries designing National Action Plans on AMR and to scale up local action.
Inaction, due to policy or implementation inadequacies, threatens to make common infections more difficult to treat and lifesaving medical procedures and treatments riskier to perform.
Inaction could also raise food insecurity and rural poverty when animal illnesses can no longer be effectively treated using veterinary medicines.
The AMR Trust Fund provides a joint mechanism for clear attribution and transparency of all sources of finance, while its activities will be based on the application of best practices, scaling up activities that have worked and innovative approaches to ensure that today’s cures are available for future generations.
Original source: FAO
Published on 19 June 2019
