One Health: FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH launch research agenda for antimicrobial resistance

Source: The post is based on the article “One Health: FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH launch research agenda for antimicrobial resistance” published in Down To Earth on 4th July 2023

What is the News?

The ‘Quadripartite’ — comprising the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has released the One Health Priority Research Agenda on Antimicrobial Resistance(AMR).

What is One Health?

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. 

It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. 

The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at different levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems while addressing the collective need for healthy food, water, energy, and air, taking action on climate change and contributing to sustainable development.

What is the One Health Priority Research Agenda on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

The agenda aims to guide a variety of stakeholders in generating new evidence to address antimicrobial resistance, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

It focuses on five key pillars:

Source: Down To Earth

– Transmission: It focuses on the environment, plant, animal, and human sectors where AMR transmission, circulation and spread occur.

– Integrated surveillance: It aims to identify cross-cutting priority research questions in order to improve common technical understanding and information exchange among One Health stakeholders.

– Interventions: It focuses on programmes, practises, tools, and activities aimed at preventing, containing, or reducing the incidence, prevalence, and spread of AMR.

– Behavioral insights and change: It focuses on research addressing human behavior that affects AMR, including ways to combat it.

– Economics and policy: It takes into account the cost-effectiveness of an AMR investment case, financial sustainability, and long-term financial impact.

Significance of the agenda: It will serve as a guide for countries, research institutes and funding bodies to support One Health AMR research. 

– It will also allow policymakers, researchers, and the multidisciplinary scientific community to collaborate across sectors.