Taking stock of global commitments on antimicrobial resistance

Area of Science:

• Global Health Security
• Public Health Policy
• One Health Approach

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has gained significant global attention in recent years.
• This increased attention has led to more discussions within international organizations and forums.
• The AMR Tripartite's Global Action Plan (GAP) was implemented in 2015 to address this growing threat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and catalogue AMR-related commitments made globally after the 2015 GAP implementation.
• To identify emergent themes and gaps in the global discourse surrounding AMR.
• To assess the evolution and specificity of AMR commitments from 2015 to 2021.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative content analysis of global political resolutions, declarations, and statements.
• Data collected from United Nations, World Health Assembly, FAO, WOAH, G7, and G20 meetings (2015-2021).
• Analysis focused on emergent themes, commitment types, and temporal consistency.

Main Results:

• Key themes identified include AMR research, surveillance, and stewardship.
• Fewer commitments were observed for specific actions addressing AMR in the environment.
• Commitment themes remained consistent over time and across different international fora.
• No significant evolution towards more concrete or nuanced action pledges was observed between 2015 and 2021.

Conclusions:

• Global commitments on AMR have not translated into significantly more concrete actions or proactive prevention strategies.
• There is a notable lack of global commitment towards addressing environmental AMR and root drivers of resistance.
• The analysis indicates a gap between global attention on AMR and the implementation of effective, prevention-focused interventions.