Donor: European Union (EU)

Target Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam

Partner Countries: Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK)

Period: 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025

AMR is a growing concern for agri-food systems, including agriculture, aquaculture, and animal husbandry. The overuse of antimicrobials in these systems leads to the emergence of resistant bacteria, which can spread to humans through the food chain. AMR not only poses a risk to human health but also threatens food safety and security. In addition, the development of AMR in animals can lead to decreased productivity and increased economic losses for farmers. Addressing AMR in agri-food systems requires a coordinated effort between producers, policymakers, and consumers to ensure responsible use of antimicrobials and promote alternative solutions to prevent the spread of resistant microorganisms.

FAO, WHO and WOAH have a strong joint commitment to implement the “Working together to fight Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia” Project to ensure a coherent “One Health” approach, recognising that human health, animal health, and the environment are interconnected.

Objective: To contribute to target countries’ preparedness to tackle AMR. We will achieve this by engaging with major global actors, the strategically chosen countries and their identified stakeholders to share experiences, advocate for best practices, and stimulate action, following the Global Action Plan on AMR.

Activities and outputs:

1. To support the updating and evaluation of the implementation of national One Health AMR action plans, in line with the Global Action Plan, the WOAH Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials and the FAO Action Plan.
2. To strengthen surveillance and monitoring of AMR across sectors and consumption/use of antimicrobials intended for humans and animals in compliance with international standards.
3. To stimulate the private sector to participate in the control of AMR, with technical assistance on responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials.
4. To strengthen research and innovation on AMR and alternatives to antibiotics while fostering international cooperation in these areas.
5. In light of COVID-19, providing the possibility to contribute to preparedness for future pandemics through regional coordination, if the opportunity for such an engagement arises.

Project’s components​

Component 1: Asian governments receive support in the updating, implementation and/or evaluation of One Health AMR National Action Plans (AMR NAPs), covering human health, animal health, plant health, food and environment sectors, supplemented with socioeconomic and gender analyses and in line with the Global Action Plan on AMR (2015). ​

Component 2: Integrated surveillance and monitoring of AMR trends and consumption and use of antimicrobials are strengthened by improved data collection, management, and analysis and reporting in the human, animal, agriculture, food and environment sectors. National and Regional Reference Laboratories (for human, animal and plant health, food and environment sectors) and AMR methodologies are strengthened in compliance with international standards, considering the impact of COVID-19 on AMR. ​

Component 3: Private sector commitment and participation in the control of AMR is increased through public-private partnership initiatives, improved understanding of the social drivers of AMR, better capacities for the prudent use of antimicrobials, and improvements in national AMR regulatory frameworks. ​

Component 4: Under the One Health Approach, research and innovation on AMR and alternatives to antibiotics are strengthened while fostering international cooperation. ​

Component 5: As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to increase country and regional pandemic preparedness to mitigate the impacts of future pandemic events in the Asia and Pacific region.