As we move into December with the end of year holidays and the New Year approaching, it is a good time to reflect on what has been achieved to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as well as what challenges should form the focus of next year.
The year began with the kick-off meeting in Paris, launching the second EU Joint Action on AMR – JAMRAI II. With a sizeable budget from the EU4Health programme and substantive engagement of Member State Authorities, International agencies relating to all aspects of the One Health Approach, as well as invited participants from civil society, the meeting set the scene for how the joint action will aid the scaling up of actions to combat AMR.
Overall progress across the EU continues, and efforts to combat AMR continue to advance, with national strategies being drawn up and implementation efforts commenced – albeit that this progress is all rather slower and more piecemeal than is ideal.
The year also saw a scaling up of the recognition of the need to act at the highest political level, which culminated in the High-level event on AMR as part of the United Nations General Assembly. The fact that the topic made it to such a high-level political and diplomatic stage was a milestone in the progress necessary to garner the political will necessary if efforts to combat AMR globally are going to be sufficient.
However, while the recognition of the scale of the crisis that AMR presents is increasingly understood at the highest political and diplomatic levels, the scale of the response remains far below the recognised threat. The UNGA, therefore, highlighted the scale of the task that remains to translate recognition of the challenge AMR poses into effective action globally.
So what now for the future and the year ahead?
First off is the disruptive impact that the renewal of the European Commission may have on EU AMR efforts. The scale of this impact may be mitigated by the inclusion of AMR action within the mission letter for the Health Commissioner as well as the topic’s profile during Várhelyi’s confirmation hearings. But the shuffling of personnel will inevitably cause a degree of weakened continuity for EC action on AMR.
So our collective challenge for the year ahead should be focused on ensuring delivery and implementation. This is necessary at both the global level and for the EU. Global, European, national, and local leaders now need to translate recognition of the need to act on AMR into sufficient real policy change, allied to resource allocation and effective implementation. This will need all those active against AMR to come together and collectively call for action throughout 2025.