In September 2024, UN Member States adopted, for the second time in history, a Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) underscoring the urgent need for coordinated action across human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors, in line with the One Health approach). Our partners at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) have developed a factsheet of the declaration, specifically for national Veterinary Services.
This document highlights key commitments relevant to animal health, outlines expected actions and provides examples of useful tools for animal health stakeholders. Among the 44 commitments adopted, four are specific to animal health, while over 15 incorporate it as part of the global action plan. You can access it here.
We encourage WVA members and stakeholders to explore WOAH’s document and share it within their networks. Collaboration among all actors is crucial to translating these commitments into tangible and sustainable actions.
Building on these key commitments, WVA is actively working on several initiatives to support their implementation. To reduce antimicrobial use and promote prudent practices, WVA has collaborated with WOAH on the Antimicrobial Use (AMU) Guidelines and developed the Essential Veterinary Medicines List (EVML) in partnership with Brooke. Regarding prevention through vaccination, WVA has released a Position Statement on Vaccine Preparedness to emphasize their role in reducing antimicrobial reliance. More broadly, WVA has recently reviewed and strengthened its Position Statement on Responsible Use of Antimicrobials, reinforcing the need for effective regulation and stronger animal health systems globally.