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Toolbox  –  Policy

Develop a national action plan

A five step process is used here to support people involved in the development and implementation of national action plans on antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance.

The five step cycle covers engaging stakeholders, assessing the current situation, planning the work, implementing the plan and evaluating progress. The process can be applied anywhere, however, key elements, specific strategies, interventions and the plans themselves should always be adapted to local settings.

The order of the five steps may vary depending on factors such as current antibiotic resistance programs, and cultural, political or economic reasons. There may be variations to the process, such as stakeholders could be convened more than once throughout the development process. A variety of examples are provided to showcase the diverse ways how national action plans on antimicrobial resistance can be developed and implemented. Information and resources for implementing specific components of a plan are collected in Implement the national action plan.  Please see Supporting development of National Action Plans for a specific example.

Diagram that summarizes the text on the steps involved in the development of antibiotic resistance policies on a national level
Figure 1. Overview of the national policy development process.