Antimicrobial resistance
Areas of work
Providing country support to implement National Action Plans
WHO is supporting countries to develop, implement and monitor their national action plans on antimicrobial resistance, by providing guidance, technical assistance and tools.
WHO is working closely with governments to help them prioritize, cost and then scale up their activities to improve awareness of AMR and strengthen training programmes; establish national surveillance systems that can provide data on resistance trends and on the use of antimicrobials; improve infection prevention and control systems within health-care settings, including water, sanitation and hygiene, and by strengthening immunization efforts; enhance antimicrobial stewardship policies and practices within the health system; and strengthen multisectoral collaboration and coordination.
WHO is facilitating capacity building and the exchange of best practices among countries on AMR national action plan implementation through e-learning modules, communities of practice platform, global webinars, and country case studies. WHO, along with its partner agencies the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health, is working with countries to help monitor and evaluate their AMR national action plans, and also conduct of the annual Tripartite AMR Country Self-Assessment Survey (TrACSS) that allows countries to track their progress across all sectors, and to identify gaps where additional resources and technical capacities may be needed. To build country capacities to strengthen their AMR efforts, WHO is establishing an AMR Technical Assistance Mechanism.
Areas of work
Leading a global One Health response
Antimicrobial resistance is being driven by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials in human and animal health, in food production systems, and through environmental contamination. WHO supports the discussion around antimicrobial resistance at the highest political levels including at the United Nations General Assembly.
WHO encourages and supports all countries to adopt a One Health approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance, that ensure that sectors collaborate in the design of programmes policies, legislation and research to improve human health outcomes.
WHO collaborates closely with its partners, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, as a Tripartite in leading the global response to antimicrobial resistance and in supporting countries to scale up One Health approaches at the country level and also collaborates closely with UNEP and other multilateral organizations
A Global Leaders Group sustains political momentum on antimicrobial resistance ensuring the problem remains on the agenda at the highest political level. A Multi-partner Trust Fund has also been established to help scale up One Health activities at the country level.
Areas of work
Developing guidance, advice and tools
WHO develops guidance, tools and training to assist countries and partners in their technical work in surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use, enhancing infection prevention and control measures in health-care settings and in improving the use of antibiotics to ensure that patients in need have access to safe and effective antibiotics while preserving those antibiotics most at risk of resistance.
WHO also identifies and sets the priorities for research and development into new drugs and diagnostics to address the most critical drug-resistant bacterial and fungal infections. Each year WHO analyses the preclinical and clinical antibacterial pipeline and supports the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) aiming to develop five new treatments by 2025 to fight drug-resistant infections. WHO also advocates for increased investment into research and development.
Areas of work
Data and evidence for policy and action
WHO coordinates a global system for the surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance trends. WHO works with countries and partners to build the surveillance and laboratory capacity of countries to gather data that can be analysed and compared to build a global and regional picture and enable countries to make informed policy choices on antimicrobial use, based on sound data and evidence. The data and evidence gathered also helps WHO to understand how the impact of interventions are making a difference over time to levels of antimicrobial resistance, and where additional action may be needed.
World AMR Awareness Week
Annually 18-24 November
Featured activities
Featured AMR publications
Since its launch, GLASS has expanded in scope and coverage and as of May 2021, 109 countries and territories worldwide have enrolled in GLASS. A key new...
Member States have requested WHO policy guidance on how to facilitate the implementation of national AMS activities in an integrated and programmatic approach....