Bolivia and Colombia held national workshops to evaluate their progress in the development of national action plans for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the food and agriculture sector. As part of the AMR Codex Texts (ACT) project, the workshop in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, took place on 12-14 October 2022, and 18-20 October 2022 in Bogota, Colombia. It was attended by more than 50 stakeholders from public and private sectors in both countries, including animal and plant production, food safety, public health, environment, laboratories and academia. The project in Bolivia was also highlighted on national TV.  

"So far, our country has faced some challenges to work in a coordinated manner among the different sectors and achieve legal support for the implementation of the national action plan. The ACT project is very relevant for us as it helps to progress in a coordinated manner to manage AMR risks before they become large-scale emergencies,” said Dr. Jorge Berrios, Project Coordinator in Bolivia.  

Using the FAO Progressive Management Pathway (PMP) tool, stakeholders discussed how to create greater awareness, surveillance, governance and good practices related to antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance, and identified future steps.  

The representative of the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands of Bolivia highlighted the support provided by FAO in organizing this workshop that allowed not only self-assessment but also to know more about the level of development of the national action plan and define their roadmap to manage AMR. 

“Sometimes we all do a lot of work on AMR, but we do not share it, or coordinate our actions. Having so many stakeholders reunited, both from the private and public sectors, was very critical,” said Blanca Cristina, representative of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia.  

ACT project Coordinator in Colombia Dr. Ana Carrizosa emphasized that the workshop was essential to plan further activities. “We defined our tasks, responsibilities, and schedules, which will help us to achieve the expected impact,” she added. 

As part of the ACT project, the next activities for Bolivia and Colombia are to continue with the national diagnosis regarding AMR, specifically focusing on the national surveillance system in the food and agriculture sector. This information will help to increase awareness and adoption of Codex standards related to foodborne AMR, and to strengthen national monitoring and surveillance AMR programs in both countries.