4th Edition of the Annual Global Media Forum in lead up to World AMR Awareness Week

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The 4th Edition of the Annual Global Media Forum in lead up to World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW: 18-24 November 2024) will be organised by Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA) on 7th November, Thursday, 11am CET.

The World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and encourage global action among healthcare workers, environmentalists, animal health professionals, agriculturists, farmers, policymakers, young people, civil society, media and the public to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. Various events and activities are held worldwide to commemorate WAAW from November 18 to 24 every year.

This year’s WAAW becomes even more important as the recently concluded UNGA High-Level Meeting on AMR and its Political Declaration adopted by world leaders, have bolstered the global response to this global health threat and set the stage for stronger actions at all levels. Additionally, the 4th Global High Level Ministerial Meeting on AMR will be held before WAAW on November 15-16, 2024, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the theme: “From Declaration to Implementation.”

AMR continues to be a significant threat for global health and development with an estimated 4·71 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR, including 1·14 million deaths attributable to bacterial AMR in 2021. The cost of AMR to the economy is significant. In addition to death and disability, prolonged illness results in longer hospital stays, more expensive medicines and financial difficulties for patients. AMR could jeopardise food security for over two billion people and increase annual health care costs by US$ 159 billion annually by 2050. This is a global challenge that also threatens animal and plant health, food safety, and food security, and it is linked to pollution and the environment. It is aggravated by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants.

The upcoming WAAW 2024 is a pivotal opportunity to strengthen media engagement around AMR worldwide. Journalists and other media actors who report on human health, agriculture and food systems, animal health, and the environment, among other issues, should be briefed on basics of AMR, promises made by world leaders, WAAW plans of the quadripartite, importance of One Health approach to address AMR at all levels, among other pertinent issues.

Global AMR Media Awards 2024

The proposed 4th Edition of the Annual Global Media Forum in lead up to WAAW 2024 would also be an opportune moment to shine a spotlight on Global AMR Media Awardees (and host a virtual/ online award ceremony towards the end of the Global Media Forum on 7th November 2024).

4th Edition of the Annual Global Media Forum in lead up to WAAW 2024

The Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA) will host a virtual/ online Global Media Forum in lead up to World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) with the following objectives:
  • To raise awareness on AMR and its impact on global health security and sustainable development
  • To increase media understanding that AMR impacts human health, animal health, agriculture and environment
  • To increase in-country media engagement around WAAW
  • To discuss how we move forward from Political Declaration of UNGA HLM on AMR (2024) to its implementation
  • To brief media about the upcoming 4th Global High Level Ministerial Meeting in Saudi Arabia
  • To shine a spotlight on winners of Global AMR Media Awards 2024

7th November, Thursday
Time: 11:00 CET (duration: 2 hours)


Panel of experts:
  • Felix Liauw, member, WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors 
  • Thomas Joseph, Head AMR Awareness, Campaigns and Advocacy, World Health Organization (WHO) HQ and Chair, AMR Awareness Working Group for the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR
  • Yu Qiu, Animal Health Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • Wondwosen Asnake Kibret, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Alexandra Cameron, Unit Head, Impact Initiatives and Research Coordination, Antimicrobial Resistance Division, WHO
  • Ana Luisa Pereira Mateus, Scientific Coordinator from the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
  • Augusto Baron, Quadripartite Working Group for Youth Engagement on AMR
  • Shobha Shukla, CNS Executive Director and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA) - moderator


Thanks