The AMR footprint: an integrative indicator in the global response to antimicrobial resistance

The draft updated Global Action Plan (GAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for 2026-2035 acknowledges persistent gaps between political commitment and measurable implementation. This Viewpoint argues that progress can be facilitated by a simple, integrative indicator capable of capturing multisectoral action while remaining sensitive to national context. We propose the AMR footprint as a unifying concept to operationalize the updated GAP. Analogous to the carbon footprint, the AMR footprint consolidates and tracks selected AMR-specific and AMR-sensitive indicators across human health, animal and agrifood systems, and the environment, relative to national baselines over time. Anchoring monitoring, evaluation and accountability frameworks around an AMR footprint would shift the global response from aspirational targets towards continuous improvement, transparent benchmarking, and sustained financing. Without such an operational lens, the next decade of AMR action risks repeating the implementation failures of the past.