Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly opened a High-level Interactive Dialogue on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on Thursday 29 April 2021 in New York. “We ignore AMR at our peril,” he said recalling how the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and agriculture has driven up resistance in the micro-organisms these medicines are meant to fight. Lack of regulation, the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animals, over-the-counter and internet sales have given [...]

On 8 April Codex Members and Observers are invited to a webinar highlighting the progress made in revising the Codex Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Foodborne AMR. There have been many developments in the area of antimicrobial resistance since the text was originally published in 2005 and following the adoption of the Global Action Plan on AMR by the World Health Assembly, Codex Members agreed it was time to revise the Code of Practice and established the Task Force [...]

More than 500 participants gathered online on Tuesday 16 March 2021 to learn about the tools and resources that FAO and WHO make available to support countries in establishing and implementing their surveillance and monitoring systems on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In the words of one participant, “it was so helpful to have everything laid out so clearly. Three different organizations, who does what, that was really well done”. Presentations from the Codex parent organizations and the World Organisation for Animal Health [...]

Close to 200 participants gathered online on 19 January 2021 for the first of two webinars aimed at building understanding on a Codex text currently being drafted in the Codex antimicrobial resistance task force (TFAMR). The text in question is the Guidelines on Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance of Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance which is being developed to assist governments when they design and implement their own AMR surveillance programmes. Typically, this type of programme will involve collecting and analyzing data from [...]

A webinar to discuss key issues on a Codex text regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), currently being drafted, will take place online on 19 and 20 January 2021. Working groups are established by Codex committees, usually to develop draft texts between sessions and traditionally operate by correspondence through online platforms such as forums and commenting systems. The suspension of formal physical committee meetings and the need to advance work, combined with experience and familiarity gained by many in participating in virtual events [...]

Development of the Jamaica Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Monitoring and Surveillance Programme for the Agriculture Sector Jamaica joined the world in celebrating World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which ran from 18-24 November, 2020, via hosting of six AMR workshops on various livestock species to highlight the importance of antimicrobial resistance and gather information for the development of an Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance programme for the livestock sector. The animal production meetings were held from November 18-26 with participation by government officials from the [...]

Interview with Professor Yong Ho Park during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week The 43rd Codex Alimentarius Commission, which ended on Friday 6 November focused on the draft standards relayed by the committees that were held since September 2019. Among the topics discussed was the work of the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAMR), an area of great international interest. After a lengthy discussion, Members agreed on the preliminary adoption of the revision of Code of Practice to Minimize and [...]

On 7 October 2020, the Development Law Service of FAO launched the public review of the “Methodology to analyse AMR-Relevant Legislation in the Food and Agriculture Sector – Guidance Document for Regulators”. All those with knowledge on antimicrobial resistance, veterinary medical products, antimicrobial pesticides, food safety, animal or plant health legislation are invited to participate.   Learn more Read the full story, learn how to take part and download the publication on the FAO website

A joint seminar/webinar organized by FAO Animal Production and Health Division, the Statistics Division and the FAO Livestock Technical Network entitled: How can we improve data gathering on antimicrobial usage at national level? Lessons from Uganda. will take place on Thursday 15 October 2020 from 11:00-12:00 (GMT+2).   Zoom Registration. Click here for further details.

Lee Eui-kyung Minister of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea, opened the Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), in Pyeongchang, underlining the need for bold action in order to conserve antibiotics for future generations. Minister Lee Eui-kyung urged delegates to move forward on their programme of work and complete the tasks assigned. “It's more crucial to have our recommendations and plans in place, than our plans themselves”, she said. Dr. Sangryeol Ryu, chairing TFAMR7 Due to the [...]