World AMR Awareness Week 2023

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health challenges of our time, becoming a leading cause of death globally. It is a growing threat to animal and human health, as well as livelihoods and food security worldwide. Addressing AMR requires a holistic and multi-sectoral approach referred to as a One Health approach.

Commemorated November every year, World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), previously known as World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, is a global campaign which aims to raise awareness and encourage action among One Health stakeholders to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. Fighting AMR is a global endeavour and requires collective action from all sectors of society. This is why this year’s theme calls for collaboration across sectors to preserve the efficacy of these critical medicines. With the concept of cross-sectoral collaboration in mind, the theme for this year’s WAAW week is: 

What can you do?

Whether you are a policy maker, a student, a member of a civil society group, a private sector stakeholder, or a partner, there are a number of specific actions you can take to help slow the spread of AMR. Here are some things you can do:

• Go Blue for AMR awareness: Go Blue (wear light blue when participating in WAAW events; adjust your social media profiles to blue and share why you are Going Blue with friends, family, colleagues, and on social media).
• Organise a community event: Reaching out to the public and organising a community gathering will go a long way in starting a dialogue and informing others about AMR. You can invite the local primary health center doctor or veterinarian to speak at the gathering. If you are a human or animal health professional, you can also put together an educational session for your peer group and staff.
• Organise competitions with prizes to engage different constituencies on AMR-related issues.

Events

Campaign Materials

Below are some visual reminders to help start conversations and raise awareness of current AMR challenges. Check out the WAAW campaign board or WOAH AMR tools and resources for more ideas.