Health Diplomacy Alliance

Category: AMR

  • The AMR–Health Security Equation: Why Diplomacy Matters for Cooperation?

    The AMR–Health Security Equation: Why Diplomacy Matters for Cooperation?

    Event Overview

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most urgent and complex health challenges of our time. As life-saving drugs lose effectiveness, previously treatable infections risk becoming untreatable, crossing state borders, and threatening global health security. AMR can reverse the gains of modern medicine, including surgeries, cancer therapies, and intensive care. Without decisive action, AMR could result in millions of deaths annually and impose severe economic losses that strain health systems and national economies.

    Excessive antibiotic use in agriculture also raises resistance to zoonotic diseases, indirectly impacting human health. These connections make AMR a cross-cutting issue hindering progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Because resistant pathogens move between humans, animals, and ecosystems, and with globalized trade in livestock and agriculture, AMR’s inherently transboundary nature necessitates a One Health approach-driven international cooperation.

    This event will explore why addressing AMR demands robust health diplomacy and a globally coordinated response grounded in the One Health approach. Strengthening hygiene and infection prevention, ensuring responsible antimicrobial use, improving surveillance systems, integrating into health emergency preparedness response and resilience, and accelerating investment in new diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines are essential pillars of an effective strategy. Bringing together diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, scientists, health practitioners, international organization and civil society this discussion aims to chart actionable pathways that mitigate AMR as a global health and security objective.

    Key Questions for Discussion

    • How do global frameworks—such as the Global Action Plan on AMR, the Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR, and the High-Level Political Declaration on AMR—interact with the Pandemic Agreement, PABS negotiations, and the WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative?
    • How can cooperation be strengthened among key ministries, including Finance, Foreign Affairs, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Commerce, Trade, and Industry?
    • What role does coordination between security, humanitarian, and health sectors play in reducing AMR in fragile and conflict-affected settings?
    • How does AMR cross state borders and impact national security and foreign policy? What are the implications for integrated policies, financing, governance, and strategic planning?

    Objectives

    • Explore how AMR undermines global health security, including its impact on infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response efforts.
    • Contribute to discussions on how geopolitical tensions, conflicts, and increased military spending influence global health action and AMR response.
    • Examine the role of health diplomacy in sustaining political momentum and accountability for AMR commitments.
    • Analyze the impact of shifting global health financing on AMR prevention and mitigation efforts.
    • Explore effective advocacy strategies to position AMR as a global health security issue, including engagement with youth.

    Key themes and discussion topics

    • Health Security nexus and AMR
    • Health Diplomacy in AMR
    • Policy integration
    • Financing AMR
    • Collaborative AMR Governance
  • La respuesta regional a la RAM: desafíos y oportunidades para América Latina y el Caribe

    La respuesta regional a la RAM: desafíos y oportunidades para América Latina y el Caribe

    Sobre esta sesión

    El seminario web “La respuesta regional a la RAM: desafíos y oportunidades para América Latina y el Caribe” reunió a expertos regionales e internacionales para debatir la resistencia a los antimicrobianos (RAM) como un desafío de salud pública urgente y complejo. El evento destacó la naturaleza transfronteriza y multisectorial de la RAM, subrayando la necesidad de una respuesta regional coordinada basada en el enfoque de Una Salud, que integra las dimensiones humana, animal, ambiental y agrícola.

    A lo largo del debate, los ponentes señalaron tanto los avances como las brechas persistentes en la región. Si bien los países han progresado en la alineación con marcos globales como el Plan de Acción Mundial y la Declaración Política de la ONU de 2024, aún persisten desafíos en la implementación, la gobernanza y la sostenibilidad a largo plazo. Se prestó especial atención a la importancia de contar con sistemas de vigilancia sólidos y datos confiables, así como a los problemas continuos del uso excesivo de antimicrobianos, la automedicación y la débil aplicación de la normativa. Las dimensiones ambiental y de salud animal de la RAM también fueron identificadas como prioridades críticas. Los panelistas destacaron el papel de la contaminación ambiental y de los sistemas de producción en la propagación de la resistencia, así como la necesidad urgente de reducir el uso de antimicrobianos en la salud animal, especialmente como promotores del crecimiento. El fortalecimiento de los marcos regulatorios, la mejora de los sistemas de monitoreo y la promoción de medidas preventivas como la vacunación se presentaron como acciones clave.

    Por último, los participantes enfatizaron la importancia de ir más allá de un enfoque puramente técnico y biomédico hacia una respuesta más inclusiva y sistémica. La participación comunitaria, la educación y el cambio de comportamiento fueron reconocidos como componentes esenciales para lograr un impacto sostenible. El evento concluyó con un firme llamado a fortalecer la cooperación regional, desarrollar hojas de ruta compartidas y traducir los compromisos globales en acciones concretas y adaptadas al contexto local en toda América Latina y el Caribe.

    Panelistas

    Vera Lucia Luiza

    Experta técnica en RAM

    Delfy Góchez

    Representante de WOAH

    Kléver Calle

    Representante de ReAct Latinoamérica

    Andre Luiz de Abreu

    Representante governamental

    Aitziber Echeverria

    Coordinadora de AMR en UNEP

    Marina Paullelli

    Moderadora
    Instituto de defensa de consumidores

    Katherine Urbaez

    Moderadora
    Health Diplomacy Alliance

    Video del evento

  • World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week

    World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week

    The 7-7-7 Campaign was our flagship initiative for our World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (18–24 November 2025), engaging 7 days, 7 actions and 7 groups of stakeholders. Key events included flag displays on Pont du Mont-Blanc from 17 to 19 November, an awareness booth at Geneva Cornavin Main Train Station on 18 November, and the blue illumination of Geneva’s Jet d’Eau on 23 November.

    Throughout the week, an online social media campaign ran with partners from various sectors and participants who amplified the campaign’s reach and highlighted their work related to AMR.

    As a conclusion to WAAW 2025, the 2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR took place on 24 November in collaboration with the Geneva Environment Network, underscoring the critical need for cross-sectoral collaboration to sustainably address AMR.

    Pont -Du-Mont Blanc

    One of the most noticeable aspects of our 777 campaign was the deployment of the Alliance’s and the AMR campaign’s flags during November 17–19, 2025.

    On average, 55,000 cars, 14,500 pedestrians, and 6,500 cyclists pass through the Pont du Mont Blanc each day.

    This exceptionally high circulation, which included pedestrian traffic, private automobiles, public transportation, and active mobility users, made it the perfect setting for educating the Canton of Geneva’s citizens and passersby about AMR.

    Thousands of extremely diverse and energetic travelers saw the flags throughout the course of the three days, raising awareness of AMR and highlighting the importance of health diplomacy in public spaces.

    Train Station Booth

    A full-day AMR awareness stand at Gare Cornavin, the largest and busiest train station in Geneva, with more than 170,000 passengers passing through daily. Our objective was to engage directly with the people and raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance in an accessible way.  

    The stand featured: 

    • A large projection screen showing educational and informative content produced by us and the organizations that joined our 777 campaign
    • Distribution of educational and informative materials, including flyers, infographics, and factsheets.
    • An interview corner for short recordings with passersby and partners. 

     

     Throughout the day: 

    • We interacted with individuals of all ages in multiple languages to make our outreach inclusive (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese)
    • Many visitors learned about AMR for the first time 

    Social Media Campaign

    Over 7 days, we convened a social media campaign across our platforms to highlight 7 key actions from 7 stakeholder groups to reduce the global AMR burden.

    The actions included Infection Prevention and Control, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, stewardship, surveillance, innovation, R&D, manufacturing, equitable access, the One Health approach, evidence-based policy, financing, and health diplomacy.  

    The 7 stakeholder groups represented a whole-of-society approach to curbing the global health threat and included AMR Survivors, Health workers, Governments and Policy Makers, Civil society, philanthropy, academia, International Organizations, the Private Sector, and the Media.

    The content spanned languages such as Maltese, English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Italian, and Malayalam

    The social media outreach from over 20 global organizations who participated in the campaign totalled 15,231 impressions, likes, reactions, and reposts.

    Jet d’Eau Ilumination

     

    The illumination of the Jet d’Eau in blue on 23 November was one of the key activities carried out as part of our 777 campaign.

    Lighting of the Jet d’Eau supports awareness of key issues and humanitarian emergencies or highlights events organized in international Geneva. For WAAW2025, the Jet adorned itself in brilliant blue to illuminate the AMR challenge at the heart of the harbor.  

    This symbolic icon of the city of Geneva, lighting it in blue, raised visibility, strengthened public awareness, and encouraged collective action in support of the campaign’s goals to reduce the global burden on AMR.

     

    2025 Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR

     

    Co-hosted by the Health Diplomacy Alliance and Geneva Environment Network, the 2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR brought together speakers from Quadripartite and Youth led organizations and built on global momentum, amplified youth perspectives through dedicated surveys, fostered inter-generational exchanges of cross sectoral and cross regional success stories and highlighted actionable recommendations to embed an inclusive One Health approach in global AMR governance.