ReAct attending the 4th Ministerial conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

2024-11-12

ReAct will be presenting on several occasions during the 4th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from November 14-16, 2024, where focus will be on how to implement the many commitments made by governments in the High-Level Meeting political declaration adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September. On the side of the Ministerial conference the second convening of the Multi-stakeholder Partnership Platform will also take place, where ReAct is participating as part of the civil society cluster.

Present in Jeddah for both meetings is Ms. Anna Sjöblom, Director of ReAct Europe as well as Ms. Julian Nyamupachitu, Deputy Director of ReAct Africa, who will be speaking at the panel titled “Containing AMR through Public Private Partnerships, Raising Awareness & Promoting Action via Patient Groups, Community Leaders & Non-Traditional Influencers” planned as part of the ‘Non-State Actor day’ on November 14.

During these meetings ReAct will make sure to emphasize the following points:

The UNGA Declaration set a goal of reducing deaths from antibiotic resistance by 10%  by 2030, but did not provide a fully convincing roadmap for how to achieve this goal. This Ministerial meeting is therefore a pivotal follow-up to ensure that more concrete roadmap is developed, and that concrete and practical steps are taken forward including on how to achieve the 100 Million financing goal by 2030.

Ahead of the UNGA High-level meeting ReAct gathered 750 signatures for the global campaign From People to Leaders: Act on AMR NOW! with roughly 200 of those coming from civil society and community groups worldwide. The ‘Call to action’ is clear in the expectations of governments, and the campaign represents an unprecedented reach in the engagement of actors deeply concerned with the issue of essential and lifesaving medicines loosing their effect with very few alternatives in development.

To address AMR effectively, NAPs must be adaptable, recognizing that both top-down and bottom-up approaches, including community-level initiatives, are vital. There is no one-size-fits-all solution; instead, goals and targets must be translated from the global to regional, national, sub-national, and community levels. This approach ensures that strategies are practical, relevant and actionable across all sectors of society, fostering a whole-of-society response. Engaging communities directly not only enhances local ownership but also leverages grassroots insights and practices, creating a robust and inclusive foundation for more sustainable use of antibiotics.

Finally, ReAct supports the suggestions to establish a troika-system for hosting future Ministerial meetings similar to how the G7 and G20 functions, as well as a proposal to hold these ministerial conferences every second year.

This would mean that Ministerial Conferences would take place in 2026 and in 2028, one year ahead of the next UNGA High-level meeting, and should be used to take thorough stock of global progress towards the 10% reduction goal, as well as assess where gaps persist in the global response goal and ensure such findings are discussed at political level. Civil society engagement and inclusion in such meetings should of course be ensured.