Antimicrobial resistance Archives - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health

World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. WAAW is observed annually from 18 to 24 November.

What is AMR?

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines intended to kill them. As drug resistance increases, antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasitics, become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

AMR is no longer a future challenge; it is a global threat.

Bacterial AMR is already associated with more than 4.7 million deaths annually. Without urgent action, AMR could cause up to 39 million deaths by 2050 and cost the global economy more than US$3.4 trillion annually, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.

About WAAW 2026 theme

“One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now”

World AMR Awareness Week 2026 shines a spotlight on this shared responsibility. Under the theme “One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now”, the campaign calls on everyone to do their part, recognising that the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment is closely connected, and that actions in one sector can affect them all.

Our world is more connected than ever. The medicines that save lives, the food we produce, the economies we depend on, and the health of our environment are all connected. When drug-resistant pathogens emerge and spread, they impact our health, animal health, food security, economies and sustainable development. Their emergence and spread are also influenced by the health of our environment.

Around the world, governments, health professionals, veterinarians, environmental experts, farmers, researchers and communities are already taking action to prevent AMR. They are improving access to, responsible use of and safe disposal of antimicrobials, strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene, promoting sustainable food systems, diagnostics and vaccines, reducing pollution and protecting the environment. Every action matters.

Global Action Plan on AMR 2026–2036

The updated Global Action Plan on AMR 2026 – 2036 reinforces this vision. It calls on all countries and sectors to work together under a One Health approach to prevent and tackle AMR. The Plan sets global targets including reducing bacterial AMR-associated human deaths, and global antimicrobial use, particularly in agrifood systems, and minimizing environmental pollution from AMR microbes and antimicrobial residues. Its goal is simple but vital: to keep life-saving medicines effective, prevent infections, and protect the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment.

Take one action

This World AMR Awareness Week 2026 everyone has a role to play. Whether you are a policymaker, health worker, veterinarian, farmer, environmental practitioner, or community member, your actions matter. Together, through One Health and one action at a time, we can prevent and contain the spread of AMR, protect the health of people, animals, plants and the environment, strengthen food systems and support resilient economies, for a more sustainable future for generations to come.

WAAW 2026 theme in six languages

صحة واحدة، خطوة واحدة: لنوقف مقاومة مضادات الميكروبات الآن! Arabic

Chinese: 同一健康，同一行动：立即预防抗微生物药物耐药性

French: Une seule santé, une seule action : Agir maintenant pour prévenir la RAM 

Spanish: Una sola salud, una sola acción: prevenir la RAM ya

Russian: Единое здоровье, единое действие: Предотвратим УПП сейчас

Leaders and Experts Unite for the ‘Acting Now, Investing Smart – Partner Together to Tackle AMR’ Forum

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is no longer a future threat. With an estimated 39 million deaths and up to US$1.7 trillion in annual livestock GDP losses projected by 2050, AMR is already reshaping global health, economic stability and food systems. Against this backdrop, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), hosted in March the Forum ‘Acting Now, Investing Smart – Partner Together to Tackle AMR’. The forum convened leaders and experts from human and animal health, agriculture, aquaculture, environment, climate, pandemic resilience, economics and security sectors to confront a pressing reality: AMR is already here, and its impacts will deepen unless the world acts collectively, decisively and urgently.

About the Forum

AMR is not a distant threat but a present crisis demanding urgent action.

Emmanuelle Soubeyran, WOAH Director General, sounded a stark warning:

AMR is a global multisectoral crisis with no borders that can exponentially grow without decisive action. Without our determination and collective voices, the burden of AMR on humans, animals, plants, and the environment will be far graver than current estimates.

Mark Pearson, Acting Director for OECD’s Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, underscored AMR’s dual health and economic urgency: ‘Every year, AMR drains nearly USD 1 trillion from health systems and economies worldwide…Our analysis shows that if we take decisive action to eliminate AMR, average global life expectancy would be 1.8 years higher in 2035 than under current AMR policy action. This is equivalent to re-gaining more than twice the average life expectancy lost in European countries during COVID-19’.

The same WOAH and the World Bank co-published study showed that drug-resistant pathogens could jeopardise the food supply of over two billion people, raise healthcare costs by US$159 billion per year by 2050, and reduce global GDP by US$40 billion annually if business-as-usual continues. In contrast, achieving a 30% reduction in animal antimicrobial use within five years could raise global GDP by US$14 billion by 2050, with further gains possible through optimal use over 20 years.

The Intersection of AMR with Other Global Agendas

AMR is not a sectoral issue. Esteemed special guest, Professor Dame Sally Davies, former UK Chief Medical Officer and a leading advocate for AMR awareness and action worldwide, underlined the connection of AMR with other issues:

AMR is not a vertical programme — it’s about strengthening systems everywhere: our food chains, human health systems, companion animals, even our economic structures. If we truly care about real impact, AMR and animal health must be linked with other global agendas.

The forum emphasised that AMR is deeply intertwined with pandemic prevention, climate change, biodiversity loss and national security. Resistant pathogens can spread through trade routes, livestock movements and environmental contamination, while climate-driven stress on animals and ecosystems amplifies infection and resistance. ‘We have to connect the dots: between AMR, pandemic prevention, economic stability, climate change and global security’, Davies added.

United by a shared urgency to accelerate action, participants explored ways to mobilise investment, align global efforts and prioritise funding opportunities capable of delivering long-term impact through a One Health approach. The Forum provided a platform for presenting WOAH and OECD’s five-year strategic visions, alongside joint initiatives and partnership pathways between the two organisations.

The Forum in Three Acts

What Have We Learned?
An evidence-rich panel showcased progress in AMR surveillance, multisectoral governance, companion animal health, as well as the legacy of the Fleming Fund. The discussion demonstrated what is possible when resources are directed with purpose.
AMR at the Crossroads
Facilitated by Dame Sally Davies, this session examined how AMR intersects with major global challenges, including pandemic preparedness, economic stability, climate change and global security. This discussion reinforced the case that addressing AMR strengthens resilience across every major global agenda.
Looking Ahead to 2030
Following presentations on the strategic visions, a World Café format enabled direct dialogue around four collaborative topics: substandard and falsified products, the economic case for AMR, integrated surveillance and aquaculture. The conversations pointed clearly towards partnership-driven solutions.

A Call to Action We Take Forward Together

AMR is not a challenge any single country, organisation or sector can resolve alone. The Forum reaffirmed that progress depends on the depth, quality and durability of partnerships, supported by predictable and adequate financing. Addressing AMR in only one sector is not enough. Without coordinated action across human, animal, plant and environmental health, resistant pathogens can persist and spread, undermining national and global efforts to control AMR and putting everyone at risk.

The forum emphasised the urgent need to invest in prevention strategies including vaccine development, improved biosecurity, infection prevention and control, as well as waste management, to strengthen health systems and reduce antimicrobial use. It also called for greater investment, sustained political commitment and multisectoral collaboration to close funding gaps, enhance surveillance, and scale up prevention efforts globally. Additionally, the forum urged that AMR be included on the agendas of finance ministries alongside health ministries.

Sustained investment is essential to advance commitments under the United Nations Political Declaration on AMR by 2030 and to implement the updated Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (2026–2030). Through mechanisms such as WOAH’s World Fund, resource partners can help translate strategic vision into concrete, measurable actions and deliver lasting improvements in animal health and welfare.

WOAH and OECD stand ready to engage with partners wishing to explore how they can contribute financially to advancing this agenda. Together, we can, and must, act now and invest smart.