The FAO Development Law Service, in collaboration with the Quadripartite focal points for AMR in the Americas, the WHO and the WOAH legal teams, conducted a regional workshop on AMR legislation in the context of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. The workshop included over 116 experts from the Latin America and Caribbean region, representing the public health, animal health, food safety and the environment sector.

The "One Health Legislative Assessment Tool for Antimicrobial Resistance" was presented at the workshop. This Tool is under development by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), with inputs from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the financial support of the Quadripartite Multi-Partner Trust Fund. It is in piloting phase and will be published in the second half of 2023.

Speakers highlighted the importance of joint and coordinated action across relevant sectors in order to design regulatory responses to prevent and curb AMR. They differentiated between sector-specific legislation that can be implemented by one ministry (human health, animal health, or environmental law) and cross-sectoral legislation that needs more than one Ministry to be implemented. They explained that most international AMR recommendations can be introduced into sector-specific legislation. As an exception, the establishment of a multisector governance mechanism is better achieved through broader AMR legislation, to be implemented by multiple ministries. Such legislation should not include sector-specific legal elements as that would create legal fragmentation.

The workshop also discussed the possibilities and options to introduce a One Health approach into AMR legislation. The establishment of a multi-sector AMR governance mechanism with participation of human health, animal health, aquaculture and environment authorities is indeed a first step. In addition, introducing a One Health approach to AMR management would also require that each sector become conscious of the intersections across areas, and that synergies be addressed in their sector-specific laws. Examples of such interventions are the coordination mechanisms for zoonosis management or the provisions on environmental pollution in human health or veterinary laws. 

For more information on this workshop and the legislative response to AMR, please write to: [email protected]