The Quadripartite, comprised of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), has recently released the One Health Priority Research Agenda on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). This agenda aims to enhance advocacy for increased research and investment in combating AMR, a critical global health challenge.
Collaboration Across Health Sectors
The One Health Priority Research Agenda recognizes the importance of collaboration among the sectors of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. By bringing together experts from these fields, the agenda seeks to address AMR comprehensively and holistically.
Global Research Agenda for AMR in Human Health
In addition to the One Health Priority Research Agenda, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global research agenda specifically focusing on AMR in human health on June 22, 2023. This highlights the commitment to tackling AMR from various angles and emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts across different sectors.
Priority Research Topics
The One Health Priority Research Agenda identifies 40 key research topics that will inform policies and interventions by 2030. These topics are designed to generate new evidence and insights, with a particular focus on addressing AMR in low- and middle-income countries where the burden is often higher.
Guidance for Research Support
The agenda serves as a guiding framework for countries, research institutes, and funding bodies in providing support for One Health AMR research. It aims to streamline research efforts and encourage collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and the scientific community across sectors to effectively combat AMR.
The Concept of One Health
The concept of One Health recognizes the interdependence and interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. It acknowledges that addressing global health challenges, including AMR, requires a holistic approach that considers the relationships between these elements.
Five Key Pillars
The One Health Priority Research Agenda identifies five key pillars that form the foundation of research efforts to combat AMR. These pillars, along with three cross-cutting themes, provide a comprehensive framework for addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by AMR.
- Transmission: The transmission pillar focuses on understanding and addressing AMR transmission, circulation, and spread across various sectors, including the environment, plants, animals, and humans. By targeting these key areas, interventions can be developed to prevent and control the transmission of AMR.
- Integrated Surveillance: The integrated surveillance pillar aims to improve the common technical understanding and information exchange among One Health stakeholders. By identifying cross-cutting priority research questions, surveillance systems can be strengthened to enhance monitoring and response to AMR.
- Interventions: The interventions pillar centers on developing programs, practices, tools, and activities that prevent, contain, or reduce the incidence, prevalence, and spread of AMR. This includes exploring innovative strategies and approaches to combat AMR effectively.
- Behavioural Insights and Change: The pillar of behavioural insights and change focuses on research that addresses human behavior and its impact on AMR. Understanding human behavior in relation to antimicrobial use and implementing effective behavior change interventions are crucial for combating AMR.
- Economics and Policy: The economics and policy pillar acknowledges the financial aspects of AMR interventions. This pillar considers the cost-effectiveness of investments in AMR, financial sustainability, and long-term economic impacts, ensuring that interventions are economically viable and sustainable.
Cross-Cutting Themes: Gender, Vulnerable Populations, and Sustainability
The One Health Priority Research Agenda also highlights three cross-cutting themes: gender, vulnerable populations, and sustainability. These themes recognize the importance of addressing gender disparities, protecting vulnerable populations, and ensuring the sustainability of interventions and research efforts.