ReAct 20 years webinar! The past, present, and future of community engagement on AMR

2025-08-28

This year, ReAct celebrates 20 years of putting communities at the center of the solution to antibiotic resistance. To mark this milestone, we launched our new report "Two Decades of Empowering Communities", reflecting on our journey across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. One year after the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR, we now invite you to join our anniversary webinar, focusing on communities and AMR.

One year after the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR it is time to reflect on where we are and how commitments of the political declaration can be met, so we invite you to join our upcoming ReAct 20 year webinar:

Two Decades of Empowering Communities: The Past, Present, and Future of Community Engagement on AMR.

The just released ReAct report shows how empowered communities play a pivotal role in tackling antibiotic resistance sustainably and equitably.

Look at webinar

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time, and it demands a whole-of-society response. While communities and civil society are essential for this effort, the representatives who can drive bottom-up action are often left out of the decision-making process.

This webinar showcases highlights from ReAct’s 20-year community engagement report, share impact stories from successful initiatives, and explore what’s next for community-led action on AMR. Together with the distinguished panel, we discuss how to move from recognition to investment, build durable community-centred models, and identify funding mechanisms to sustain and scale this vital work.

Panel 1 – Reflections on ReAct´s 20 years of community engagement

Florence Riako Anam, Co-Executive Director GNP+ (Global Network of People Living with HIV)
Florence Riako Anam is the Co-Executive Director at the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). She is a global advocacy leader in the HIV response. It matters to her that global policy and research decisions translate into action that directly impacts people living with and affected by HIV to enjoy the quality of life. Prior to GNP+ Florence worked at Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Community of Women Living with HIV. She holds a Master of Arts in Communications degree from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Maseno University.

Mario Crios Medegan, General Manager MUSUHUM (Mouvement Universel pour la Survie de l’Humanite’s)
and CSO Cluster Lead in the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform

Dr. Mario Medegan is a public health physician, Secretary General of MUSUHUM, and CEO of HEKA Public Health Services, a pioneering public health solutions firm in Africa. Over the past decade, he has designed and led initiatives to improve the living conditions and health outcomes of vulnerable populations across Africa, with a focus on infectious diseases, reproductive and child health, and the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). His work bridges high-level policymaking with grassroots action, ensuring that AMR initiatives translate into tangible improvements in health systems and the living conditions of vulnerable communities. He currently serves as Cluster Lead for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the quadripartite partnership platform on AMR and co-leads an action group uniting 40 African CSOs to map and structure community-based initiatives that strengthen the continent’s collective response to health challenges.

Philip Mathew, Technical Officer (AMR), World Health Organization

Philip Mathew is a public health physician working as a Technical Officer with the AMR Awareness, Campaigns and Advocacy Unit of the World Health Organization Headquarters. At WHO, Philip is responsible for improving the awareness about AMR and its drivers among various stakeholder groups, strengthening pre-service training on AMR for healthcare workers and increasing the visibility of AMR in the international policy landscape. He has previously served as an Advisor at the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS), Copenhagen, Deputy Director of ReAct Asia Pacific, Associate Professor at Pushpagiri Medical College, India, and Secretary of the India Clinical Epidemiology Network. He is also pursuing a PhD at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. His research interests include antimicrobial resistance, access to medicines and health systems strengthening.

Rebecca King, Professor in Global Health and Community Engagement at University of Leeds

Rebecca King is trained in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She worked for several years in the international development sector on livelihoods, food security and health programmes in South Asia and West Africa. She is a Professor in Global Health and Community Engagement in the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, University of Leeds, and is currently Head of the Nuffield Centre. She leads a portfolio of research, which brings together her expertise in participatory community-based interventions, the importance of embedding approaches within the existing health infrastructure, and the critical need to address antimicrobial resistance globally. She is currently leading an MRC-funded  study “Community Solutions to Antimicrobial Resistance” (COSTAR), which is exploring the ways in which community dialogues can be embedded into the health system infrastructure to contribute to the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh and Nepal. She also co-lead a global network of researchers and practitioners working to address AMR through community engagement CE4AMR.

Panel 2 – From awareness to systems change

C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike,
and Member of the Global Leaders Group on AMR

C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu is a member of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Chairman of Nigeria’s National Community of Practice for Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Usage. A former Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is currently Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Nigeria. Prof Chukwu is a strong believer in and promoter of One Health. During his time as minister, he established the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. As the Minister of Health, he also oversaw the adoption of the National Pharmacovigilance Policy, the National Drug Distribution Policy, worked on a National Prescription Policy for rational prescription and use of medicines, including antimicrobials, and encouraged local pharmaceutical companies to work towards earning the WHO certification for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). For several years, he served as Board Member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Katherine Urbáez, Founder & Executive Director, Health Diplomacy Alliance

Katherine Urbáez is the Founder and Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, where she provides strategic leadership to integrate health into foreign policy and governance. Drawing on almost two decades of diplomatic experience, she promotes initiatives in global health, human rights, and humanitarian affairs, positioning the Alliance as a key actor shaping health diplomacy. She leads the development of the Alliance’s vision and priorities, directs core programs, and oversees the work of the Diplomatic Task Force, promoting health as a central component of foreign policy and international cooperation. Her career in public service began at the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development, followed by leadership of the Department of Administration of Treaties at the Ministry of Agriculture. She later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holding senior international postings including Permanent Mission to the WTO, Commercial Office in Hong Kong, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and the Embassy to the Swiss Confederation. These roles provided extensive experience in multilateral negotiations and complex policy environments. Ms. Urbáez has served as institutional focal point for commissions on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Safeguards, Antidumping, and Countervailing Measures. She chaired the 2016 Geneva based Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and coordinated her country’s participation on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), advancing health policy integration in global governance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in international strategy and diplomacy, complemented by advanced studies in international business, project management, political economy, and negotiation. A native Spanish speaker, she is also fluent in English, French, and Portuguese, and is married with two children.

Katy Kydd Wright, Director, GFAN (Global Fund Advocates Network)

Katy is the Director of the Global Fund Advocates Network. Based in Ottawa, Canada, Katy joined GFAN shortly after its founding in 2012 and has been entrusted with its leadership as Director since 2020. Katy can regularly be found convening calls of the GFAN network which aims to ensure advocates are informed and aligned and able to deliver high-quality advocacy campaigns. Katy has trained, developed materials for and supported grassroots volunteers and advocates from community, national and international organizations to advocate to their elected officials and institutions like the World Bank, IMF, the ACT-A Partnership, and the Global Fund. Currently, she leads GFAN’s contributions to the HeAR-CSO Project, a consortium of health organizations conducting a consultative process to understand community and CSOs visions for the future of the global health architecture. She sits as an Alternate Member at the Stop TB Partnership Board (Developed Country NGO Constituency) and as a member of the Global Funds Developed Country NGO delegation. Katy lives and works in Ottawa, Canada and can be reached at Katy@globalfundadvocatesnetwork.org

Nafis Faizi, Local Authority Research Practitioner at Sunderland City Council

Dr. Nafis Faizi has been working in the area of antimicrobial resistance policies for more than six years, participating in discussions through the WHO-NGO and quadripartite dialogues through the Antibiotic Resistance Coalition. He led AMR sessions at the International People’s Health University (IPHU) and the 4th People’s Health Assembly in Bangladesh (2018) and the Uppsala Dialogue (2023). His specific focus has been on the determinants of AMR within the health systems in LMICs. Additionally, he participates in policy discussions at the WHO through the democratizing global health initiative (WHO watch). At the Regional Workshop on AMR in Asia held in Penang (2019), he presided over presentations on AMR national policies from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor Leste. He currently works as Research Practitioner for Sunderland City Council. In the past decade he has worked as a Faculty of Community Medicine in Aligarh Muslim University, India and has also served as Medical Scientist E at the Indian Council of Medical Research. He is currently an India HPSR (Health Policy and Systems Research) Fellow and an academic editor of Plos Global Public Health.

ReAct celebrates 20 years of action on antibiotic resistance!

The story of ReAct began 20 years ago with a small group of passionate global health advocates, several of whom are still part of the network today. Driven by the urgency of antibiotic resistance, ReAct has grown into a global movement with offices across four continents, influencing policy, empowering communities, and shaping governance.

Despite progress, global efforts remain insufficient, and urgent action is needed. ReAct remains committed to driving stronger responses to safeguard effective antibiotics for all.

ReAct’s 20-year journey has transformed AMR governance, strengthened health systems, and mobilized communities worldwide. As we look to the future, we invite partners and funders to join us in scaling impact, driving innovation, and securing sustainable solutions — for a world free from untreatable infections.

The story of ReAct.

ReAct 20 years.