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?

    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.

    Summary

    As part of the 79th World Health Assembly, the Health Diplomacy Alliance convened a side event on 18 May 2026 to discuss antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a health security issue. The event examined how AMR moves across human health, animal health, agriculture, water systems, environment, trade and financing. The discussion was moderated by Kate Warren, Executive Vice President at Devex. Katherine Urbaez, Founder and Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, moderated the Spanish-language regional segment. 

    The purpose of the discussion was to discuss the implementation. Existing commitments, national action plans and regional strategies do not by themselves create laboratory capacity, surveillance systems, financing, regulation or public awareness. The discussion therefore focused on how commitments can be moved into practical action. 

    Kate Warren opened the session by placing AMR within the wider health security agenda. She explained that the event was taking place on the opening day of the 79th World Health Assembly, where health leaders were discussing decisions with long-term effects on global health. She described AMR as a threat to the basic functions of modern medicine, including routine infection treatment, surgery, cancer care and intensive care.  

    AMR as a Health Security Issue

    Kate Warren argued that AMR should be understood as part of health security planning. Resistant infections reduce the effectiveness of life-saving drugs and make treatable infections harder to manage. This affects individual patients, but it also affects the capacity of health systems to function during routine care and emergencies. She also linked AMR to economic losses and development setbacks, noting that the consequences would be felt by health systems and national economies. 

    AMR is already recognized in political declarations, G20 targets and ministerial commitments. The more difficult question is how those commitments are reflected in preparedness budgets, health security planning and implementation systems. The problem is therefore the gap between evidence, political commitment and operational capacity. 

    Dr. Silvia Bertagnolio, Unit Head for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance and Laboratory at WHO, addressed this problem through diagnostics and surveillance. She stressed that countries need stronger laboratory systems and better access to diagnostics in order to know where resistance is occurring and how it is changing. She also described access to diagnostics as a human rights issue. This matters because without diagnosis, patients may receive inappropriate treatment and governments may lack the data needed to respond. 

    AMR as a Cross-Border Problem

    H.E. Fernando Boyd Galindo, Minister of Health of Panama, connected AMR to Panama’s geographic position. He described Panama as a strategically connected country. This connectivity is an advantage, but it also creates health responsibilities. He then referred to migration through Panama and explained that the movement of people also involves the possible movement of pathogens. His main point was that AMR cannot be addressed by one country alone. 

    Minister Galindo also stressed that AMR does not know borders. Panama’s role as a transit country means that national health risks also have regional implications. Migration, trade, mobility and environmental exposure all create routes through which resistant organisms can move. For this reason, national action plans need to be linked to regional surveillance and cooperation. 

    Sr. Jose Renan De Leon Caceres, Executive Secretary at SE-COMISCA, made a similar argument from the Central American perspective. He explained that Central American countries share borders, food systems and markets. He referred to the movement of agricultural and livestock products between countries, showing that practices in one country can affect others. 

    One Health Governance

    One Health was the main framework used by the speakers. Nevertheless, it was discussed as a governance issue rather than only as a technical concept. H.E. Dr. Angel Eduardo Midence Ochoa, Vice Minister of the Republic of Honduras, explained that the health sector has to convene other sectors, including environmental health, animal health, natural resources and related institutions. His point was that AMR cannot be managed by the Ministry of Health alone. 

    Vice Minister Midence described the work of building coordination between sectors for mitigation, detection and disease management. He also connected AMR to access to medicines, prescription practices and regulatory control. AMR governance depends on routine public administration. Planning, prescription control, access to medicines and regulatory capacity are the mechanisms through which AMR policy becomes operational. 

    H.E. Dra. Gina Beatriz Estrella Ramia, Deputy Minister for Risk Management and Environmental Health of the Dominican Republic, also described AMR as a One Health problem. She argued that AMR is no longer only an issue inside hospitals. It is now linked to borders, agriculture, aquaculture, water, sanitation and environmental systems. Speaking from the perspective of an island country, she referred to agriculture and aquaculture, including fish, mollusks and crustaceans, as sectors that need to be included in AMR surveillance and control. 

    Dra. Estrella Ramia also raised the question of governance and budgets. She explained that no sector should be treated as more important than the others. Each sector has a responsibility. This reflects a central difficulty in One Health implementation. The approach requires different ministries and agencies to work together even when they have different mandates, budgets and incentives. 

    Sr. Jose Renan De Leon Caceres referred to the regional One Health strategy in Central America. He explained that the strategy was approved through the health, agriculture and environment ministers. This gave the issue political weight, not only technical support.  

    Water, Environment and Sanitation

    The environmental dimension was discussed most clearly by Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo and Dra. Gina Beatriz Estrella Ramia. Minister Galindo referred to water systems, river basins and ecological balance in Panama. He argued that years of insufficient attention to water and environmental systems can create wider health consequences. AMR cannot be separated from sanitation, wastewater and environmental management. 

    Dra. Estrella Ramia also placed water and sanitation within AMR surveillance. She explained that environmental health, water, agriculture, livestock and aquaculture are all part of the resistance problem. Because resistant organisms and antimicrobial residues can circulate through water systems and environmental pathways. If these systems are not monitored, AMR surveillance remains incomplete. 

    This part of the discussion showed that environmental surveillance remains a weak part of AMR implementation. Countries may focus first on hospitals and clinical laboratories, but AMR is also shaped by water treatment, sanitation infrastructure, agricultural runoff and waste management. These areas often require investment outside the health sector, which is why political coordination and financing are necessary.

    Financing and Implementation

    A repeated theme was that AMR commitments need financing. Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo argued that health should not be treated only as a cost. It should be treated as an investment in a healthy population. He linked weak investment in water, sanitation and health systems to later public health and economic consequences. Underinvestment does not remove costs. It only moves them into the future. 

    Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe, Director General of ECSA-HC, connected this point to ministries of finance. He argued that ministries of finance need to be part of AMR discussions from the beginning. Because AMR strategies cannot be implemented if they remain only in technical health documents. Financing decisions determine whether laboratories, surveillance systems, stewardship programmes and public campaigns can continue. 

    Standalone initiatives may raise attention, but they can be difficult to sustain. AMR work needs to be connected to national budgets, health security planning, laboratory systems, primary care, environmental monitoring and regional platforms. Otherwise implementation depends on short-term projects and external support. 

    Katherine Urbaez also directed attention to what needs to be monitored in implementation. The relevant questions are what has been committed, who is responsible, what is financed, what is monitored and what still needs political attention. These questions are important because they move the discussion from general political support to accountability. 

    Surveillance, Diagnostics and Data

    Dr. Silvia Bertagnolio’s intervention focused on surveillance and diagnostics. She explained that representative data is needed to understand the burden and spread of AMR. Weak laboratory capacity creates weak data, and weak data makes policy less precise. This is especially important in lower-resource settings where access to diagnostics is limited and infections may be treated without laboratory confirmation. 

    Sr. Jose Renan De Leon Caceres also discussed regional technical capacity. He referred to work on laboratory strengthening and early diagnosis. He also mentioned support from the Pandemic Fund to strengthen laboratories and surveillance systems and stated that AMR surveillance requires systems that can share information, connect platforms and report data in a way that can be used for decision-making. 

    The discussion therefore treated data as a governance tool. Diagnostics and laboratories help patients receive better care, but they also make AMR visible to governments. Without data, it is difficult to know whether commitments are producing results. Surveillance is therefore both a health function and an accountability function. 

    Regulation, Trade and Public Awareness

    Vice Minister Angel Eduardo Midence Ochoa linked AMR to prescription practices, access to medicines and public policy. He stated that regulation is a gradual process of building state capacity. Countries need systems that can control inappropriate use of antibiotics while still protecting access to essential medicines. This is exclusively difficult when health, agriculture and trade interests overlap. 

    The discussion also referred to the relationship between AMR regulation and economic activity. In Honduras, the issue was connected to agricultural production and export credibility. Strong traceability systems can help a country show where contamination occurred and protect both public health and legitimate trade. Regulation is can protect economic interests when it is based on evidence and clear systems. 

    Dra. Gina Beatriz Estrella Ramia raised the issue of public behaviour. She referred to the common practice of people buying antibiotics for flu-like illness because they believe antibiotics will help them recover. AMR is not only produced by weak legislation or weak laboratories. It is also produced by everyday behaviour, misinformation and easy access to antibiotics without proper guidance. 

    For this reason, education was discussed as part of AMR implementation. Public campaigns, schools, universities and community platforms can help explain when antibiotics are needed and when they are not. Regulation is necessary, but it may not be sufficient if public expectations and prescribing behaviour do not change. 

    Science, Technology and Innovation

    Martin Mueller, Executive Director Science Anticipator at GESDA, addressed the role of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, decentralised surveillance and improved diagnostics. These tools can support earlier detection and better prediction. However, they also require governance systems that can keep up with scientific change. 

    Christian Terreaux, Member of BEAM Alliance, brought attention to the role of innovation in the AMR response. Innovation is relevant because AMR requires better diagnostics, treatments and tools. However, innovation alone is not enough. New tools need financing, access pathways and regulatory systems if they are to be used in countries with different levels of capacity. 

    The point from this part of the discussion was that science can move faster than governance. This creates risks. If advanced diagnostics and prediction systems are available only to some countries, technology may widen existing inequalities. For this reason, innovation needs to be linked to access, financing and implementation. 

    Health Diplomacy and Cooperation

    Health diplomacy was treated as a practical requirement for AMR implementation. Kate Warren framed the event around what health diplomacy has to do with moving commitments into action. Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe stated this directly by arguing that diplomacy has to be present in AMR work. The reason is that AMR requires cooperation across ministries, countries and sectors. 

    Katherine Urbaez’s questions linked national experiences to regional and multilateral cooperation. She asked how Panama understood concrete risks, how Central America viewed shared responsibility, and how the discussion related to multilateral and commercial issues. This showed health diplomacy as a way of connecting technical problems to political decision-making. 

    Regional institutions were also important in the discussion. SE-COMISCA was presented as a platform for Central American coordination across health, agriculture and environment. ECSA-HC was connected to regional health cooperation and financing discussions in East, Central and Southern Africa. WHO was linked to diagnostics, surveillance and technical guidance. These institutions matter because they help translate global commitments into regional and national systems. 

    The discussion therefore showed that diplomacy is needed at several levels. At the national level, it is needed to connect health, finance, environment, agriculture, trade and foreign affairs. At the regional level, it is needed for cross-border surveillance and shared food systems. At the global level, it is needed to maintain accountability and support equitable access to technologies and financing. 

    Conclusions

    The event showed that AMR is already recognised as a major health and development challenge. The remaining difficulty is implementation. Speakers did not focus on proving the seriousness of AMR. They focused on the systems needed to respond to it. 

    Based on the discussion, the following conclusions can be drawn. 

    • AMR should be treated as a health security issue because it weakens routine care and emergency preparedness. 
    • One Health needs institutions, budgets and responsibilities. It cannot remain only a technical framework. 
    • Regional cooperation is necessary because migration, trade, livestock, agriculture, water systems and food products cross borders. 
    • Health ministries cannot implement AMR commitments alone. Finance, environment, agriculture, trade and foreign affairs ministries need to be involved from the start. 
    • Laboratory capacity, diagnostics and surveillance are central because they make AMR visible and allow progress to be monitored. 
    • Water, sanitation and environmental systems need greater attention in AMR strategies. 
    • Antibiotic regulation must be linked to public awareness, prescription control and trade realities. 
    • New technologies can support AMR response, but only if access, financing and governance are addressed at the same time. 
    • Health diplomacy is necessary to keep AMR on the political agenda and to connect evidence with financing and implementation. 
    •  

    Panelists

    H.E. Fernando Boyd Galindo

    Minister of Health of Panama

    H.E. Dra. Gina Beatriz Estrella Ramia

    Deputy Ministry for Risk Management and Environmental Health of the Dominican Republic

    Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe


    The East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), Director General 

     

    H.E. Dr. Angel Eduardo Midence Ochoa

    Vice Minister of the Republic of Honduras

    Professor Dame Sally Davies

    UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

    Christian Terreaux

    Member of BEAM Alliance

    Dr. Martin Müller

    Executive Director Science Anticipator, GESDA

    Dr Silvia Bertagnolio

    Unit Head, Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance & Laboratory (ASL), WHO 

    Sr. José Renán De León Cáceres

    Executive Secretary at SE-COMISCA

    Katherine Urbáez

    Founder & Executive Director, Health Diplomacy Alliance

    Moderator

    Kate Warren

    Executive Vice President, Devex

  • 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. 

  • Invisible Emergencies: Climate Change, Mental Health, and Health Diplomacy

    Invisible Emergencies: Climate Change, Mental Health, and Health Diplomacy

    As climate impacts intensify, exacerbating trauma, food insecurity, displacement, and health inequities, mental health continues to be overlooked in climate strategies, underscoring the need for integrated action. Held in the wake of the Health Day deliberations at COP30, the webinar organized by the Health Diplomacy Youth Network responded to growing recognition of the psychological toll of climate change on vulnerable and climate-affected communities. With participation from youth leaders, environmental psychology experts, and community mental health practitioners, the session brought mental health to the forefront of climate diplomacy.

    Ayesha Ali, Coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Health Network, opened the session by highlighting the gap between policy commitments and real-world access to mental health services in climate-vulnerable regions, especially for women, rural populations, and young people.

    Matteo Consiglio, Lead, Food and Water Systems, Swiss Youth for Climate, underscored how climate-driven food insecurity contributes to anxiety, stress, and psychosocial instability, calling for stronger links between food systems, environment, and public health.

    Dr. Jakub S. Bil, Universal Health Coverage Working Group Co-Chair, Global Mental Health Action Network, emphasized community-based and rights-based mental health approaches, noting that climate impacts frequently compound pre-existing trauma and inequities, and stressed co-design of solutions with affected communities as central to sustainable implementation.

    Dr. Harshita Umesh, Focal Point, Health Working Group, YOUNGO, highlighted the limited integration of mental health within UNFCCC processes and called for mental health to be embedded across adaptation and disaster response mechanisms, while Dion Ras, Executive Committee Member, International Association for Youth Mental Health, brought a grassroots lens, emphasizing peer support, lived experience, and the need for accessible, youth-informed systems of care in the face of climate stressors.

    During the panel discussion, Ebunoluwa Ayinmode steered a conversation that underscored the gap between policy ambition and implementation, the invisibility of cumulative climate-related trauma in formal frameworks, and the need for health diplomacy to align institutions, communities, and youth constituencies around shared priorities

    This event marks an important step in elevating the climate–mental health objectives enshrined in the Belem Health Action Plan by mobilizing diverse expertise, amplifying youth and community voices, and identifying practical pathways for integrated, equity-focused action. The Health Diplomacy Youth Network remains committed to advancing diplomatic engagement, intergenerational collaboration, and evidence-based advocacy to ensure that mental health becomes a central pillar of climate resilience.

  • 2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR

    2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR

    The 2025 Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR was a key initiative in the Health Diplomacy Alliance 7-7-7 Campaign during World AMR Awareness Week that highlighted seven actions on AMR led by seven stakeholder groups through seven days in the week.  

    The dialogue built on global momentum amplified youth perspectives through findings from a pre-event survey that seeked to understand their initiatives, concerns, and solutions towards an inclusive global governance on AMR, promote cross-generational exchanges on effective solutions, foster capacity-building and partnership, especially in last-mile settings, and develop actionable recommendations to embed inclusive engagement and health diplomacy within the global instruments governing AMR response grounded in a One Health approach.

    Summary

    Welcome and Introduction

    Diana RIZZOLIO | Coordinator, Geneva Environment Network | Co-Moderator

    Diana Rizzolio, Coordinator of the Geneva Environmental Network, opened the session by conveying warm greetings and setting the stage for the dialogue. She welcomed participants, framed the significance of the exchange, and underscored the value of bringing diverse voices together. In concluding her introduction, she invited the audience to turn their attention to the next speaker and formally introduced Katherine Urbáez.

    Katherine URBÁEZ | Founder & Executive Director, Health Diplomacy Alliance | Co-Moderator

    Katherine Urbáez, Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, offered her opening remarks by outlining the purpose and spirit of the gathering. She described the AMR Week 7-7-7 Campaign, explaining how it showcased seven core actions from seven stakeholder groups across the seven days of the week. She noted that the Health Diplomacy Alliance highlighted AMR efforts in Geneva, online, and through hybrid formats, all while prioritizing engagement with global audiences in a multilingual, cross-sectoral, and intergenerational way. She walked participants through the key initiatives of the campaign, including the display of campaign and HDA flags on the Pont du Mont Blanc; an awareness stand at Geneva’s main train station, Gare Cornavin, featuring messages and activities from multiple supporting organizations; a social media effort spotlighting contributions from diverse global actors alongside the seven key actions on AMR; and the blue illumination of the Jet d’Eau at the center of Lac Léman. She concluded by underscoring the core aim of the campaign: to involve every category of stakeholder, bridge generations, and ensure the broadest possible diversity in AMR awareness and action.

    Presentation of findings from pre-event youth survey

    Bill Whilson A. BALJON | Working Group Liason, Health Diplomacy Youth Network

    Bill Whilson A. Baljon, Working Group Liaison of the Health Diplomacy Youth Network, presented outcomes and key messages from the pre event youth survey on AMR. He outlined three clear priority areas guiding youth perspectives on AMR. He emphasized the need to strengthen education and awareness efforts, expand surveillance and data-sharing mechanisms, and regulate antibiotic use more effectively, particularly within agriculture and livestock systems. He noted that young people unmistakably want to be part of the solution, and the wide range of activities they are eager to pursue—research, awareness initiatives, international negotiations, and digital advocacy—reflects their strong drive to contribute. He highlighted that this momentum reveals substantial potential at the global level, where youth feel more genuinely included and more encouraged to participate than they do within local or national settings.

    Keynote Address: Advancing national action on AMR

    H.E. Amb. Fernando LUGRIS | Member, the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Ambassador of Uruguay

    H.E. Amb. Fernando Lugris, Member of the Global Leaders Group on AMR and Ambassador of Uruguay, delivered the keynote address by presenting Uruguay’s stance on advancing national efforts against AMR and strengthening support for youth. He described how Uruguay marks AMR Awareness Week by convening institutions working across the issue to demonstrate ongoing progress. He affirmed that AMR remains a pressing challenge with far-reaching effects across health systems and the environment, stressing that “it is time to turn commitments into concrete actions.” He explained that Uruguay invests across multiple sectors—vaccines, pharmaceuticals, research, and veterinary sciences—to reinforce national readiness. He emphasized the value of collaboration between academia and government ministries, including partnerships with the Caribbean region, and underscored the significance of empowering young people in schools and universities. He encouraged stronger implementation of AMR action plans and noted the need for greater investment in diagnostics, innovation, and policymaking. He concluded by stressing that it is essential to ensure that future generations inherit a world safeguarded from the escalating risks posed by AMR.

    A cross-sectoral One Health discussion on key actions to prevent and mitigate AMR

    In the context of the triple planetary crisis, what key actions are needed to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? 

    Jacqueline ALVAREZ | Head, Chemicals and Health Branch, UN Environment Programme

    Ms Jacqueline Alvarez emphasized that very few people recognize AMR as an environmental concern or understand the reasons behind it. She framed her remarks within the context of the triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—explaining how rising temperatures heighten disease risks, and greater disease burdens intensify AMR. She noted that extreme weather events similarly exacerbate the issue, while shifts in soil health and biodiversity reveal the emergence and spread of resistance even when it cannot be directly observed. She underscored priority actions: strengthening governance, legislation, and regulatory frameworks; expanding knowledge and evidence through research to better understand the problem without delaying action, since resistant genes are already present in the environment; and maintaining a focus on prevention, where small steps can yield significant impact. She added that healthcare facilities pose major challenges and stressed that, for UNEP, children and youth are essential partners, as the rapid spread of information among younger generations is key to delivering the right messages.

    How do you envision that emerging professionals like you are contributing to solutions at the intersection of animal welfare and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and what are the challenges you understand are still needed in your region?

    Prothoma KALIDAHA | Chair, Standing Committee on Animal Welfare 2025-2026, International Veterinary Students’ Association

    Ms Prothoma Kalidaha explained the intrinsic link between animal welfare and AMR, noting that animals fall sick more easily when their conditions are inadequate, resulting in heavier antibiotic use. She emphasized that promoting proper welfare is already a strong step toward ensuring healthier animals. She highlighted that even as students, young people can contribute meaningfully through awareness and action, particularly in regions where antibiotics are perceived as the quickest solution, making education vital. She pointed out that research is an area where young and undergraduate students can already participate. She also acknowledged persistent challenges, including the shortage of qualified veterinarians—especially in rural areas—which leads communities to rely on less qualified and cheaper alternatives. She closed by stressing that together, young professionals can make a real impact through prevention and by strengthening One Health, which she described as the most important point.

    How inclusive are the implementation of GAP and IPEA processes in ensuring intergenerational and multisectorial representation?

    Jean Pierre NYEMAZI | Director, Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Head, Governance & Strategic Initiatives Unit, AMR Department, World Health Organization

    Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi highlighted the significance of the independent panel and affirmed that youth have been engaged as key stakeholders in its work. He explained that AMR becomes easier to address when coordination exists across all sectors and communities. He stressed that young people are not only beneficiaries but critical actors; therefore, early-career inclusion in AMR dialogue is essential. He noted that youth must be better represented at the national level, where they are often under-included, and emphasized that efforts must continue to expand their presence. He added that youth participation is needed in implementation as well, emphasizing that at every level, young people are indispensable.

    What are the key AMR challenges and awareness efforts in the Pacific Islands, and how are last-mile actions and populations, such as in Papua New Guinea, being included in AMR solutions?

    Simeon PETER | National President 2025-2027, Papua New Guinea Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship

    Simeon Peter explained that Pacific Island countries remain under-resourced in combating AMR, particularly regarding surveillance capacity. He underscored the need for increased laboratory personnel and expanded stewardship training. He noted that a Fleming Fund country grant supported by the Australian government is helping to build laboratory and hospital capacity for surveillance data, which in turn is used to design tailored programs to confront AMR challenges. He added that governments in the region are implementing WHO recommendations to develop national AMR plans. He emphasized that regulatory challenges significantly impact pharmaceutical supply chains, with a portion of imported drugs in Papua New Guinea being substandard, and noted that these medicines are sold over the counter and sometimes even on the streets rather than through pharmacies. 

    How do you see the engagement of youth in your region as part of the current global AMR governance, how representative is their participation across sectors, and what steps can be taken to improve inclusivity? 

    Karina KHATIC | Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR

    Dr Karina Khatic affirmed that young people are increasingly receiving opportunities, platforms, and recognition as champions working on AMR. She emphasized that young researchers studying AMR require support to synthesize evidence across One Health dimensions. She stressed that youth should play a role in the implementation of global action plans and other instruments guiding AMR responses.

    How is the FAO addressing the link between food security and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through, and what can be done to enhance representative participation and collective action? 

    Dominique BURGEON | Director, Geneva Liaison Office, Food and Agriculture Organization

    Dominique Burgeon emphasized the deep connection between food security and AMR, noting that misuse in agriculture and livestock production threatens human, animal, and environmental health, and ultimately the safety of the whole supply chain. He outlined the FAO action plan on AMR, which focuses on reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use in crops, livestock, and aquaculture; promoting good farming practices; improving biosecurity; and encouraging alternatives such as vaccines and probiotics. He described FAO’s commitment to strengthening global antimicrobial surveillance through InFARM, which monitors antimicrobial use worldwide. He highlighted the RENOFARM initiative and its 5Gs—good health services, good production services, good alternatives, good connections, and good incentives—designed to help farmers enhance animal health and productivity safely and sustainably without relying on antibiotics. He noted FAO’s close collaboration with WHO, WOAH, and UNEP to align strategies and support countries implementing National Action Plans, alongside engagement with the Multistakeholder Partnership Platform to coordinate collective efforts. He emphasized representative participation and a whole-of-society approach involving farmers, veterinarians, food processors, policymakers, researchers, and communities. He added that governments are crucial for setting targets and sharing data transparently; smallholders need incentives and technical support to adopt improved practices; the private sector can invest in stewardship programs; and civil society can raise awareness and shift behaviors.

    How is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) being addressed in conflict and humanitarian settings, what key actions have been taken?

    Duha SHELLAH | Vice Chair, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) Youth Council

    Dr Duha Shellah described AMR as a daily reality in places experiencing prolonged conflict, where conditions that perpetuate resistance occur simultaneously—overcrowded shelters, damaged water and sanitation systems, shortages of essential antibiotics, and disrupted diagnostic and surveillance capacity. She detailed how the collapse of laboratory and clinical services restricts treatment options and complicates management for frontline young professionals. She noted that disrupted supply chains allow substandard and unregulated antibiotics to circulate, fueling resistance, while overcrowding accelerates infection transmission, including drug-resistant organisms, in environments with limited infection-control resources. She explained that data collection becomes fragmented, surveillance systems collapse, and access to laboratories narrows, creating a gap between the true AMR burden and what appears in national or global reports. She highlighted that youth-led networks are promoting safe antibiotic use, young researchers are contributing to community mapping and real-time recommendations, and youth volunteers are bridging health facilities and communities through triage and last-mile health education. She emphasized that experienced leaders provide strategic insight while youth mobilize on the ground, making intergenerational collaboration essential to AMR response. She concluded by stating that AMR must be integrated into emergency response plans, and that ensuring reliable access to quality-assured antibiotics and diagnostics, training frontline professionals in stewardship, strengthening surveillance capacity, and investing in youth-led efforts are critical.

    Antimicrobial stewardship is a national priority, and pharmacists play a key role in safe prescribing and guideline implementation. As a recent graduate, how would you use your understanding of stewardship to work with pharmacists and other professionals to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

    Eleanor FONJI | Chairperson of Public Health, International Pharmaceutical Students Federation

    Eleanor Fonji emphasized the importance of informing and educating pharmacists and healthcare practitioners about how their actions influence AMR, paired with intervention training to strengthen stewardship practices. She explained that regularly updating knowledge through presentations on new developments and research is an effective educational approach. She noted that pharmacists contribute by reviewing antibiotic prescriptions in a timely manner, optimizing dosing, supporting clinicians with updated antimicrobial-therapy guidelines, and participating in case reviews and ward rounds. She stressed that stewardship is a collective responsibility in which all healthcare professionals understand the role they play in safeguarding antibiotics.

    What actions are needed in animal health to sustain global momentum on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ensure the sector is involved in all multisectorial discussion and in the engagement  of all generations in the process?

    Javier  YUGUEROS MARCOS | Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health

    Javier Yugueros-Marcos explained that veterinary communities worldwide have faced around one hundred disease outbreaks in the past six months and emphasized that AMR stems from weak animal health systems, making their strengthening essential for veterinarians managing daily challenges. He described WOAH’s advocacy through bilateral engagement with Chief Veterinary Officers and regional conferences, supported by awareness campaigns. He highlighted the positive momentum within the animal-health community, noting that antimicrobial use in animals has shown a downward trend over the years. He referred to a 2024 WOAH economic study revealing that countries permitting antimicrobials as growth promoters use 45% more antimicrobials than countries that restrict such use. He emphasized that awareness, surveillance, and regulation are central to reducing AMR and noted that the youth pre-event survey aligns with these priorities. He mentioned that WOAH has created informative leaflets to translate complex UN political-declaration language into actionable steps for veterinarians. He emphasized the need to understand the planet as shared by humans and other animals, highlighting the interconnectedness and spillover potential between ecosystems. He stressed that education is a first priority to sensitize children to ecological interdependence, social responsibility, and AMR. He noted that multistakeholder coordination is essential for policy action, offering the example from WAAW where France released national antimicrobial-consumption reports for animals and humans, revealing a decline in animal use while human use rises—showing that progress in one sector does not guarantee system-wide success. He concluded by reaffirming WOAH’s commitment to helping youth establish cross-sectoral collaboration mechanisms at the national level to gain exposure and experience in addressing critical challenges.

    How can equity and access be strengthened in the design and implementation of key actions to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

    Federica CASTELLANA | Secretary, Young World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)

    Federica Castellana emphasized that equity and access begin by placing young professionals at the center of AMR discussions. She described how the Young WFPHA working group’s AMR chapter advances awareness, advocacy, and research while convening stakeholders from different regions within the youth age group, which helps highlight diverse needs and co-create solutions. She shared an example from Djibouti, where a community-centered One Health project championed by the Italian Red Cross has enabled community members and livestock owners to lead disease surveillance. Villagers are trained to collect and share data with local health authorities using a bottom-up approach, ensuring that AMR solutions reflect local realities.

    What is the role of health diplomacy in shaping and governing a collaborative, One Health–driven response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially when there are other health and political priorities?

    Yasmine BAIROUK | Intern, Health and Environment, Health Diplomacy Alliance

    Yasmine Bairouk explained that health diplomacy ensures global and regional AMR commitments are translated into effective, context-adapted national policies. She emphasized that monitoring and accountability are essential to understanding the real impact of political commitments. She announced that the Health Diplomacy Alliance will launch the Click-The-Box Initiative next year to support governments and the Quadripartite in monitoring accountability around political commitments. She highlighted diplomacy as a key mechanism to strengthen budgeting and financing, mobilize non-traditional sectors, and support innovation, diagnostics, and science. She concluded by stressing that global AMR communication must remain accessible and understandable for all.

    Closing

    Ms Katherine Urbáez closed the dialogue by summarizing the discussion and highlighting the key themes explored by the panelists. She underscored the importance of addressing the triple planetary crisis, the misuse of antimicrobials, the global action plan, healthy communities, political engagement, food security, biosecurity, livestock production, conflict settings, and data collection, while noting the trend of reduced antimicrobial use in animals. She emphasized how youth remain central across each of these dimensions of the AMR equation. She concluded the event by outlining the next steps toward 2026, reaffirming the importance of continuing to engage quadripartite organizations each year during World AMR Awareness Week.