EU Statement – UN General Assembly: High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance

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Thank you, President. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocols observed.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. I would like to start by congratulating Malta and Barbados for their stewardship in leading the UN Membership to agree on this political declaration.

AMR is complex, invisible and multifaceted. It threatens us all, no matter who we are or where we live. It seriously undermines our progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals worldwide.

Some countries and regions, including the European Union and its Member States, have been monitoring AMR closely for many years and we are working actively to curb it.

However, this cannot be done in isolation. It requires bold action and commitment at all levels.

The evidence of its toll on human and animal health, on the environment, and the financial burden it represents, is clear.

By 2050, it is projected that over 8 million deaths will be linked to bacterial antimicrobial resistance, with nearly 2 million deaths attributable to AMR occurring worldwide.

What we all face is neither silent nor will it fade away on its own.

AMR affects everyone but the most vulnerable are the front line. This is unacceptable.

Ladies and gentlemen, what we face today is a real crisis. The political declaration before us today is an important milestone in dealing with this crisis, together. It aims the spotlight on AMR, it draws our attention and raises global awareness and understanding of the cost and threat to our societies that it represents.

Awareness is key for progress - to changing our behaviour, to more prudent use of antimicrobials, and to securing the necessary allocation of resources. Awareness is the first step.

Professionals - doctors, farmers, environmentalists - industry and politicians, but also regular citizens and civil society need to be aware of the threat and be part of the solution to addressing antimicrobial resistance.

We need much more than awareness. We need decisive action.

Indeed, since 2016, many countries have developed National Action Plans. However, their implementation has not always been effective.

Resources can be a big issue. Lack of prioritisation or prioritisation between competing objectives, and lack of predictable and sustainable financing have led in too many cases to these plans not being implemented. Sometimes plans have been partial or only addressed certain sectors but not others, lacking the comprehensive multi-sectoral One Health approach. And in some instances, the lack of regulatory frameworks or robust surveillance, safeguarding and monitoring frameworks has led to poor or non-existent accountability and follow up even where resources have been available. Moreover, even the best of plans risk failure without broad societal awareness and the necessary behavioural changes.

This is why we need concrete proposals and targets to push us ahead towards effective action and delivering results.

We must be both ambitious and realistic, and to hold ourselves accountable both globally and nationally.

Sustainable financing from all sources should be promoted at all levels, in all our national contexts, with special attention and international support for low- and middle-income countries.

I warmly welcome the inclusion of these elements in today's Political Declaration.

The One Health approach is rightly recognised as the way forward, and One Health National Action Plans are at the heart of the Declaration, with clear commitments to develop, update and implement them with appropriate financial support.

These Plans will form the backbone of our work to curb AMR.

We now have targets for action at both global and national levels, with government mechanisms in place to ensure accountability.

Member States will need to assess their progress implementing the national targets.

States will be guided by the new independent panel for evidence for action against AMR, which will provide international framework guidance based on scientific evidence.

The European Commission will support the setting up of this panel in 2025, with 2.5 million euros.

The frameworks and mechanisms we have now will facilitate the sharing of experiences and best practices across sectors.

The European Union and its Member States have successfully implemented this collaborative approach through a dedicated framework, the AMR One Health Network.

I am glad to see that the Quadripartite AMR Multistakeholder Partnership Platform will have a similar role at global level.

Every two years, ministerial conferences on antimicrobial resistance will provide a platform for us to examine our global progress.

We also strongly advocate for increased regional cooperation. For example, in the EU, to enhance the exchange of best practices among Member States and to promote synergies across the EU through the One Health approach we work together through the European Joint Action on Antibiotic Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections.

We all agree that financing for AMR remains crucial, and the EU is a dedicated global partner. The European Union is a major contributor to numerous existing funds, and invites other members, existing and new donors to pitch in to help support those who need our support.

Quality will also matter for these funds to make a difference and they have to be used more efficiently, in accordance with national and multilateral strategies.

The Quadripartite's support in mapping financial and other resources from all strands - public and private - should be a game changer in providing much needed clarity on what is available and how it can be better channelled.

Ladies and gentlemen, every aspect of the Political Declaration is important: prevention, surveillance and monitoring, as well as research, innovation, manufacturing, training, education, and awareness. This, across all sectors: human, animal, plant and environmental health.

In human health, the WASH principle is key. All health care facilities everywhere should have functional water, sanitation, hygiene and waste services.

In the animal sector, antimicrobials must be used in a prudent and responsible manner, today for those that are medically important and, with the goal of ultimately ending their use for growth promotion and taking into account animal welfare.

In the environmental sector, monitoring is key, so we need better surveillance. The next step is to think about how we can integrate surveillance information from all One Health sectors to better orient our actions.

We need to strengthen research and development by fostering multisectoral and international collaboration. Aligning global research efforts and resources is crucial. With regard to innovation, both push and pull incentives should allow us to find the breakthrough antimicrobials we urgently need, realizing the full potential of voluntary technology transfers based on mutually agreed terms - fully aligned with international intellectual property rules and law.

As I reflect on today's Political Declaration, it is clear that it is not an end in itself - it is the starting point for everything to come.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Today is a call to action for us to curb AMR.

To translate commitments into actions and results, so that when we look back in a few years' time, we will have achieved the goals we set today.

Given the urgency of the problem, we strongly call for raising the ambition level for implementation of this political declaration higher than ever.

We have the tools, and we have the knowledge.

In the European Union we are ready to play our part to the fullest extent to address AMR and will support and collaborate with others in this critical endeavour.

We look forward to working together with all of you.

Thank you.

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