Category: Video

Source: United Nations (Video News)

Press Conference by The Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the Quadripartite Principals (WHO, UNEP, FAO and WOAH) on the significance of the High-Level Meeting on AMR and its outcome.

Speakers:

– HE Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
– Ms. Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
– Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director-General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
– Mr. Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

World leaders and health experts convened at the UN Headquarters in New York today (26 Sep) to address the “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with the adoption of a political declaration to confront this escalating global health threat.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-Level Debate, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the severity of the issue, noting that AMR kills over a million people each year. He said, “the declaration is a strong signal from countries that they are committed to addressing this global trend. Today, AMR is one of the most urgent global health threats. AMR could unwind 100 years of medical progress, making infections that are easily treatable today a death sentence.”
Dr. Tedros further emphasized that no nation is exempt from this threat, although low- and middle-income countries bear the greatest burden. He noted the declaration’s goal to reduce global deaths associated with bacterial AMR by ten percent by 2030.

He also said, “achieving the target set in the declaration requires action beyond the health sector to protect and promote the health of animals, plants, and our environment.” he added. Dr. Tedros said that the WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are collaborating under a “One Health” approach to tackle the issue.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados described AMR as a “silent growing pandemic.” She cited the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials as the primary drivers of resistance.

Mottley said, “many of us get antibiotics. We use it for a few days. We don’t use it for the full course, as prescribed by doctors.” She continued, “we have to change behavior at the individual level, and that is a fundamental purpose, first and foremost, for this high-level summit and the political declaration to begin to effect change.”

Mottley painted a dire picture of the future if AMR is not addressed, saying “imagine what happens if you get an infection from going in a garden, or having a baby, or going to the dentist. These are the things that can bring your life to an end within 48 to 72 hours if the particular antibiotic that you’re using is not effective.”

Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UNEP said, “this deadly AMR resistance could potentially lead to 40 million deaths attributable to AMR, and 160 million associated with AMR in just a period of 25 years between 2025 and 2050.”

WOAH Director-General Emmanuelle Soubeyran welcomed the political declaration’s emphasis on prevention, particularly in animal health and the use of vaccines. She said vaccines help “prevent diseases that could otherwise lead to the use of antimicrobials.”

Assistant Director-General of the FAO, Thanawat Tiensin, called for collective action to reduce antimicrobial use in agriculture. He said, “and we are expecting that by 2030 we will be able to reduce the global antimicrobial use in agri-food systems, but we need your support.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MyFAs9Reqo