Nations adopt Jeddah Commitments to accelerate action on AMR

Sub: Sci

Sec: health

Context:

The Fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Nov 15-16, 2024), following momentum from the UNGA High-Level Meeting on AMR in September.
Host: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health, Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel.
Participants: Representatives from 57 countries, 450 participants from UN bodies, and experts from health, environment, and agriculture sectors.
Theme: “From Declaration to Implementation – Accelerating Actions Through Multi Sectoral Partnerships for the Containment of AMR”.
The conference concluded with a call for all member states to adhere to their commitments and work towards achieving the UN General Assembly Political Declaration’s target of reducing AMR-related deaths by 10% by 2030.
Next Summit: Nigeria will host the next ministerial conference in 2026.

Key Outcome: Jeddah Commitments:

Adoption: The conference adopted the Jeddah Commitments, a comprehensive framework aimed at translating the Political Declaration of the UNGA AMR meeting into actionable steps.
Focus Areas:
- Establishing an Independent Panel for Evidence on Action Against AMR by 2025.
- Creation of operational national AMR mechanisms and data-sharing platforms like GLASS AMR/AMC, ANIMUSE, and INFARM.
- Adherence to Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines for responsible antimicrobial use.
- Setting up a One Health AMR Learning Hub for sharing best practices and developing multi sectoral National Action Plans (NAPs).
- Proposing a Regional Antimicrobial Access and Logistics Hub for sustainable procurement.

India’s Involvement:

India was represented by Anupriya Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.
Proposals: Strengthening AMR detection and surveillance, sustainable financing, support for the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund, and ensuring affordable access to antimicrobials, diagnostics, and vaccines, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Political Declaration Commitments

Key Goals:
- Establishing an Independent Panel on Evidence for Action Against AMR (IPEA) by 2025.
- Developing multi sectoral NAPs with national targets and sustainable financial resources.
- Recognizing the disproportionate burden of AMR on LMICs.
Support for Countries: The AMR Policy Accelerator assists in NAP development, providing evidence-informed guidance on One Health Governance and prioritizing equity.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR):

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when microorganisms, like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, become resistant to antimicrobial medicines, such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. This makes infections harder to treat, and can increase the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death.
In 2019, 1.27 million deaths were directly caused by bacterial AMR, with 4.95 million associated deaths, heavily impacting children under five.
AMR could lead to a global economic loss of up to $1.2 trillion annually.
WHO’s Global Action Plan: The WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS system) highlights critical challenges, including limited diagnostic capacity, workforce shortages, and inadequate information systems.

Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS)

Introduction: The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO), launched in 2015, aimed at supporting global efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). GLASS provides a standardized framework for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU), enabling countries to strengthen their surveillance systems and guide policy decisions.

Objectives of GLASS:

To establish a globally standardized approach for AMR and AMU data collection and reporting.
To facilitate the sharing of AMR data across countries to provide a clearer picture of global resistance patterns.
To provide reliable data to inform national and international policies on AMR.
To strengthen the capacities of participating countries in conducting surveillance and using data for informed decision-making.

Key Components of GLASS:

AMR Surveillance:
- Focuses on the collection of data from priority pathogens that cause common infections (e.g., bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory infections).
- Monitors antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results from clinical laboratories.
- Priority pathogens include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Antimicrobial Use (AMU) Surveillance:
- Tracks the consumption of antimicrobials in human health, focusing on outpatient and hospital settings.
- Provides insights into prescribing practices, overuse, or misuse of antimicrobials.
Surveillance Sites:
- GLASS engages participating laboratories and surveillance sites across member countries to report AMR and AMU data.
- Data from these sites is submitted to a centralized GLASS platform for global analysis.
Data Sharing and Reporting:
- GLASS collects data and generates annual reports that provide insights into the status of AMR globally.
- The data is available publicly and helps in identifying trends, resistance hotspots, and emerging threats.

Key Achievements:

Global Participation: As of 2024, over 120 countries are enrolled in GLASS, reflecting growing international commitment to tackling AMR.
Enhanced Surveillance: GLASS has contributed to improved diagnostic capacities and laboratory practices in participating countries.
Integrated Surveillance: Incorporates the One Health approach, linking human health data with information on AMR in animal health and the environment.

Source: DTE