When: 7 November 2024
The Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Media Alliance (GAMA) will host the fourth edition of the Annual Global Media Forum in the lead up to World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW).
Experts from the global quadripartite agencies (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO, United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP, World Health Organization – WHO, and World Organisation for Animal Health – WOAH) along with AMR survivors and youth leaders will be on the panel.
Participants would get to know the basics of AMR, promises made by world leaders, WAAW plans of the quadripartite, importance of One Health approach to address AMR at all levels, among other pertinent issues – ahead of the global annual observance of World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW: 18-24 November) on the theme: “Educate. Advocate. Act Now.”
The upcoming WAAW 2024 is a pivotal opportunity to strengthen media engagement around AMR worldwide. Journalists and other media actors who report on human health, agriculture and food systems, animal health, and the environment, among other issues, are welcome to join the Global Media Forum.
This year’s WAAW becomes even more critical as the recently concluded UNGA High-Level Meeting on AMR and its Political Declaration, adopted by world leaders, have bolstered the global response to this global health threat and set the stage for more decisive actions at all levels. Additionally, the 4th Global High-Level Ministerial Meeting on AMR will be held before WAAW on 15-16 November 2024, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the theme: “From Declaration to Implementation.”
AMR continues to be a significant threat to global health and development, with an estimated 4.71 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR, including 1.14 million deaths attributable to bacterial AMR in 2021. The cost of AMR to the economy is significant. AMR could jeopardise food security for over two billion people and increase annual health care costs by US$ 159 billion annually by 2050. This global challenge threatens animal and plant health, food safety, and food security, and it is linked to pollution and the environment. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants aggravates it.
This year’s Global Media Forum will also shine a spotlight on the winners of the Global AMR Media Awards 2024.
