ReAct 20: Two decades of empowering communities: A global call to invest in grassroots AMR Action

2025-10-23

“Antibiotic resistance cannot be solved by any one group alone. It demands a coordinated, whole-of-society response - and at the very heart of this effort lies the power of community mobilization.” With this call to action, Andrea Caputo Svensson of ReAct Europe opened the global webinar, setting the stage for a vital conversation. Held on September 25, 2025, “Two Decades of Empowering Communities: The Past, Present, and Future of Community Engagement on AMR” represented a unified push to place people at the center of the global response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The event, which also officially launched ReAct’s new milestone report, highlighted a critical gap: while the value of community engagement is increasingly recognized, it remains critically underfunded and under-implemented in formal structures. The core lesson from ReAct’s 20-year journey is that sustainable change starts not in boardrooms, but in communities.

“Communities hold vital cultural insights and lived experiences and can shape effective and lasting solutions, but they are often excluded from decision-making”

said Maria Pränting of ReAct Europe adding,

“Sustainable change starts with people”.

This sentiment was echoed throughout the discussion. Nafis Faizi from Sunderland City Council issued a stark reminder of the systemic gap:

“Our systems still speak to communities, not with them.”

The path forward requires listening deeply, funding fairly, and co-creating bravely to build genuine community-led knowledge.

“Communities play crucial roles in co-designing interventions and in advocacy, bridging evidence-based policy with lived realities,”

said Dr Rebecca King from the University of Leeds, UK.

Community role in strengthening global health

This local work is the engine for global impact. The discussion made a compelling case that localized, bottom-up advocacy is crucial, as it directly feeds into and strengthens global health programs. This is especially critical in an era of decreasing donor funding. This connection represents a new form of essential diplomacy, where community action brings much-needed grassroots legitimacy into global health decision-making, ensuring that international policies are grounded in local reality.

A powerful thread throughout the conversation reframed community engagement as a fundamental form of accountability.

Philip Mathew from the World Health Organization stated plainly that

“Community engagement itself is a form of accountability,”

a mechanism to ensure that policies and prescribing practices truly serve people’s needs. The challenge now is to evolve from ad-hoc, short-term projects to durable and equitable partnerships. In this model, local leadership and global advocacy are synergistic; each gives credibility and strength to the other, moving beyond token inclusion to true co-design.

Beginning of a new civil society movement on AMR

Looking ahead, the webinar ended with a sense of urgent optimism.

In his concluding remarks, Professor Emeritus Otto Cars, ReAct founding director, left the audience with a positive message:

“We might be seeing the beginning of a real civil society movement,” pointing to the increased mention of civil society in global declarations; and ended issuing a powerful call to action: “By 2029, let’s make those commitments visible on the ground. Let us leave today with a shared commitment to place communities at the heart of the AMR response.”

The message was clear: the evidence, the models, and the community will exist. The next decade must be defined by tangible investment in people, formalizing community roles in governance, and finally building a truly equitable, people-centered global response to AMR.

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 page.

React 20 years logo