The 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025 approved a decision to update the Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), signaling renewed international commitment to tackle this growing public health crisis. The updated plan aims to provide a practical framework for the next decade, with a key target of achieving a 10% reduction in global deaths associated with bacterial AMR by 2030, aligning with the 2024 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting declaration on AMR.
This initiative is driven by the alarming statistic that bacterial AMR was associated with an estimated 4.71 million deaths in 2021. The updated GAP will emphasize a multisectoral "One Health" approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and ecosystem health in driving AMR. The World Health Organization will collaborate with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) – the Quadripartite – to develop this update, in consultation with Member States and stakeholders.
While over 170 countries have developed national action plans since the original GAP in 2015, the need for an updated plan to "accelerate implementation" suggests that progress has been uneven, underscoring the challenges in translating plans into effective action, particularly concerning funding and capacity in resource-limited settings. The updated plan is scheduled for discussion at the World Health Assembly in 2026.
Source: WHO