The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), organiser of the conference, has received the full support of the European Commission, which has placed the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on top of its priority list.

Over the past decades, irresponsible and incorrect use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicines have accelerated the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria.

The situation has worsened for lack of investments in developing effective antibiotics.

Each year, drug resistant infections result in 25.000 patients dying and €1.5bn healthcare costs and productivity losses in the EU.

In response to the severity of the problem, the Commission launched, in 2011, a 5-year Action Plan against AMR in the human and veterinary areas.

The OIE's conference is one of the activities of the Commission's plan. It aims to present an overview of the current situation on AMR, encourage international cooperation, explore opportunities to improve data collection on antimicrobial usage in animals and the development of antimicrobial resistance, and present research projects on the development of new antimicrobials and alternatives to treatment.