The 87 General Session of the OIE reflected on the progress made in the past year to elevate the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the national and global level. The achievements highlighted, included the Second OIE Global Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, the annual collection of data on antimicrobial use in animals, an updated OIE list of antimicrobial agents of veterinary importance, new communication resources, and regional OIE Focal Point seminars to increase capacity and understand of the current global situation of AMR in animal health.

At the core of the work implemented by the OIE, the organisation continues to support global efforts to focus on the objectives of OIE Strategy on AMR and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials and the Global Action Plan on AMR. Ongoing AMR activities are strengthened through the One Health approach of Tripartite, a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organization (WHO).

Yesterday at the General Session, the OIE Assembly of Delegates examined the advantages of creating a permanent Working Group on Antimicrobial Resistance to advise and increase the capacity of the organisation to respond to global AMR developments. This group will provide a reinforce the OIE contribution to continuously strengthen the Tripartite partnership and the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations (UN) Ad-hoc Inter-agency Coordination Group (IACG) on AMR that presented its recommendations report to the UN Secretary General this year. The Working Group on AMR is a clear signal that the OIE is committed to taking action against AMR and supporting nationals and global initiatives. The official adoption of the resolution will occur on Friday.

Discover what you can do to handle antimicrobials with care in animal health:

• OIE international Standards to control antimicrobial resistance
• OIE Strategy on AMR and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials
• OIE List of Antimicrobial Agents of Veterinary Importance (2018)