Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
Without immediate, coordinated action by governments, civil society, international organizations and the private sector, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could put the world’s economy in peril.
AMR could shave an estimated US$ 3.4 trillion off GDP annually and push 24 million more people into extreme poverty in the next decade.
According to the World Bank, by the year 2050, the global Gross Domestic Product could decline up to four per cent, and the livestock sector - a major source of economic activity - could shrink up to 11 per cent, pushing millions people into extreme poverty globally.
Ninety-three per cent of this could occur in developing countries if current antimicrobial resistance levels remain unchecked.
On 28 November, the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) will host a Zoom launch for the Quadripartite One Health Legislative Assessment Tool for antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The Tool can be utilized by countries to assess the legal framework under a One Health approach. It is expected that the Tool will play an important role in the fight against AMR worldwide and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
See below for times and links:
First session: 10:00 CET with interpretation English-French
Second session: 10:00 CET with interpretation English-French
Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Here is how:
Young people have a pivotal role to play in combating the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and how it contributes to a social and economic issues affecting youth.
Prime Minister of Barbados and the Chair of the Global Leaders Group on AMR Mia Amor Mottley will be in conversation with young people at The Global Youth Dialogue, an online virtual event, Securing our future from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The event will take place Tuesday 21 November 2023 from 3 pm to 4 pm CET during the World AMR Awareness Week.
Registration is now open, to participate in the event, register here.
Earlier this year, UNEP published the report, “Bracing for Superbugs: Strengthening environmental action in the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance,” a comprehensive global assessments of the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis.
The report provides evidence that the environment plays an important role in the development, transmission and spread of AMR. It also offers solutions to the AMR crisis including preventing and managing chemical and biological pollution from the pharmaceuticals, agriculture and healthcare sectors and municipal waste.
The report also calls for all hands-on deck from government, civil society, international organizations and the private sector.
The first plenary assembly of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) multi-stakeholder partnership platform took place at the FAO Headquarters in Rome to provide an opportunity for partnership platform members to convene, collaborate, and collectively establish priorities for combating AMR using the One Health approach.
Thought she could not attend, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen recorded a video message for attendees at the assembly to encourage all stakeholders to redouble efforts to combat AMR.
World AMR Awareness Week starts today and will continue to 24 November.
Wold AMR Awareness Week which raises awareness about the danger that antimicrobial resistance poses to global public health will feature summits, panel discussions, press conferences, and a host of other events around the world.
To find more about some of the events, visit here.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been called a ‘silent killer’ and despite the danger it poses to the world, not many people know about it.
AMR occurs when microorganisms evolve and stop responding, or respond less, to treatment such as antibiotics. This process is on the rise worldwide and was responsible for nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019, making it a bigger killer than AIDS and malaria. And the situation is expected to get worse.
To learn more about AMR and why it's a global health crisis, here is an explainer UNEP published recently.
The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-3), is taking place this week at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Follow along here for coverage.
Talks to develop a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution restart today at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.
The discussions – which represent the third session of what is known as the International Negotiating Committee (INC-3) – come with the world experiencing a plastic pollution crisis.
Humanity produces around 430 million tonnes of plastic every year, two-thirds of which quickly becomes waste. Much of that ends up polluting land, sea and air while increasingly working its way into the human food chain.
Plastic pollution also has a huge impact on the climate. In 2019, plastic generated 1.8 billion metric tonnes of GHGs – 3.4 per cent of the global total – with 90 per cent of those emissions coming from plastic production and the conversion of fossil fuels.
So, what can we expect from the latest round of talks? Read the full story.
Seules 12% des villes disposent de mesures de la qualité de l'air conformes aux normes de l'OMS
