Message by

H.E Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly

on World Antimicrobial resistance Awareness Week (18-24 November)

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

It is my honor to contribute to World Antimicrobial resistance Awareness Week.

 

AMR is truly a global concern, a silent yet bigger killer than AIDS and Malaria, causing 5 million deaths globally each year. And by 2050, it will be on par with the death toll from cancer.

 

The spread of drug resistance is rendering the medicines – which we rely on to keep us safe and healthy – virtually ineffective. Inappropriate use, lack of access and the inadequate development of new antimicrobials are leading causes of this growing catastrophe which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

This is even more concerning against the backdrop of climate change and environmental degradation, which are altering our ecosystems, fueling the spread of zoonosis and the spillover of pathogens from nature to humans.

 

Antimicrobial resistance must also be recognized as a development challenge. On one hand, poverty, inequality, and lack of equitable access to healthcare, has accelerated the spread of AMR. On the other, its rapid spread is shifting more people into poverty.

 

This is a situation that warrants urgent action at the highest political level:

 

§ We need to work cross-sectorally to preserve our ability to prevent and treat human, animal and plant diseases and minimize the risks of spillovers;

§ We need to reduce the risks for food safety and security, considering the high volume of antibiotics being used in the agri-food system;

§ We need to implement our commitments to achieve universal health coverage and achieve health for all, especially through equitable access to medicines;

§ We need to double down on our commitments to protect the environment especially biodiversity loss and, ultimately to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

All of this, we need to do together.

 

International cooperation is essential. The international community needs to take bold and concrete actions that drive change across sectors and save lives.

 

In this regard, I see the GA high-level meeting on AMR next year as a key opportunity to bolster political momentum on this issue and to tackle this multi-faceted challenge through a multisectoral approach, through greater investments and innovation, through enhanced cooperation among countries and all relevant stakeholders.

 

It is my hope that UN Member States will work together under the leadership of the co-facilitators, the Permanent Representatives of Barbados and Malta, to agree on strong political commitments that will enhance our collective efforts to tackle AMR.

 

And stakeholders such as pharmaceutical companies, the agriculture sector, regulators, and local governments, must recognize the cross-sectoral nature of AMR and join this effort.

 

In this connection, I take this opportunity to thank the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends on Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance who are taking the lead in New York, together with the World Health Organization and the UN Foundation, in organizing a thematic discussion series on antimicrobial resistance for Member States, key stakeholders and AMR experts to engage informally in the lead up to the high-level meeting.

 

Excellencies,

 

I reiterate my resolve to work together to prevent AMR.

 

This year’s World Antimicrobial resistance Awareness Week is an opportunity to informally kickstart preparations towards the 2024 UNGA high-level meeting on AMR, and build on the success of the high-level meetings on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, universal health coverage and the fight against tuberculosis this September.

 

I look forward to negotiations of Member States for transformational commitments to address AMR at the highest political level.

 

I thank you.