When: Thursday, 29 April 2021, 10:00 EDT
Where: The virtual event will be hosted at UN Headquarters in New York and will be accessible on UN WebTV.
What: The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Volkan Bozkır, will bring together government representatives; leaders from pharmaceutical and agricultural companies; representatives from United Nations institutions, international organizations and civil society groups as well as members of the general public to discuss and recommit to actions to address Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. AMR poses threats to human wellbeing, animal health and welfare, food safety and security and is a major obstacle for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why: Despite increased efforts at global, regional, and country-level, AMR continues to pose severe threats to human, animal, plant and environmental health, undermining livelihoods, food safety and global food security and could put millions of people back into poverty.
Expected Outcome: The meeting will focus on strengthening political commitment to tackling AMR, taking stock of progress, recommitting to actions and ensuring that addressing AMR is a key factor in plans to build back better from COVID-19 and in preparing for future pandemics. UN Member States will present an ambitious, action-oriented Call to Action, containing voluntary commitments countries can take to begin tackling the growing threat of AMR.
Speakers will include:
