Regional
Antimicrobial resistance
Read more
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a pressing global health and socioeconomic crisis. It has significant impacts on human and animal health, food production and the environment. Drug-resistant-pathogens pose a threat to everyone, everywhere. Yet, much more can be done to raise public and stakeholder awareness.
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among One Health stakeholders to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. WAAW is celebrated from 18-24 November every year.
The theme for the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024 is, “Educate. Advocate. Act now.”
This theme was chosen based on feedback from an online survey among stakeholders from the human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors, which collected nearly 200 responses globally.
This year’s theme calls on the global community to educate stakeholders on AMR, advocate for bold commitments and take concrete actions in response to AMR. The 2024 UNGA High-level Meeting on AMR and the fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR, for instance, provide a critical window of opportunity for political and financial commitments as well as increased accountability in response to AMR. Stronger political leadership, advocacy and accountability are needed at all levels and the time to act is now.
To help you and all stakeholders take action, we developed a campaign guide with partner organisations FAO, WHO, and UNEP (a regional “Quadripartite” group of organisations). The guide offers key information on how you can join and participate in the commemoration of WAAW. It serves as a resource to inspire and help you develop activities to address the impact of AMR on our world. Your support is crucial to the success of this campaign.
WAAW 2024 campaign guideFor resources supporting AMR awareness, see our global page for Antimicrobial Resistance, where you may find relevant events, videos, factsheets, infographics and other tools for building a campaign, supporting a national or sub-national communication strategy, or simply learning more and sharing knowledge with others.
One example can be found below – our video, “What is antimicrobial resistance?” You may find many more on the global page.
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?
(Sep 2024) Dr Siti Komariah, a veterinarian surgeon of an animal clinic in Jakarta, shared her views on encountering AMR in clinical practice.
WOAH actively contributes to the global public conversation on antimicrobial resistance through many initiatives, including events individually organised or jointly with Quadripartite partners (FAO, WHO and UNEP) such as conferences and trainings on related topics, supporting campaigns such as World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), and through our participation in political fora.
View many of our AMR-related events in the Asia Pacific region here, where you may view meeting reports, presentations, and recordings.
