One Health

Research Paper 227, 20 November 2025

Participation of South Centre Member Countries in the WHO GLASS: Progress and Gaps in AMR Surveillance and Stewardship Efforts

By Dr. Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy

This study highlights antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance challenges in LMICs, focusing on the 55 South Centre Member States’ enrolment in the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS). Despite progress since its 2016 launch, significant gaps persist: only 60 percent of South Centre Member States report AMR surveillance to GLASS, and just 38 percent report antimicrobial use (AMU) data to GLASS. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted surveillance activities, with rates declining from 2020-2021 compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Digital infrastructure, such as mobile reporting tools, cloud-based systems, and interactive dashboards, offers significant opportunities to strengthen AMR surveillance in resource-limited settings. The study recommends a holistic and phased approach for South Centre Member States, including developing integrated national AMR action plans with realistic implementation timelines, investing in laboratory and workforce development, establishing interoperable digital infrastructure, and strengthening regional collaboration mechanisms. By systematically addressing core surveillance challenges while strategically incorporating digital innovations where appropriate, countries can develop resilient monitoring systems that support effective stewardship, protect national populations, and contribute to global health security by preserving antimicrobial effectiveness for future generations.

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SC Report on FAO Side Event, 26 September 2025

Implementing the 2024 AMR Political Declaration: Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation

By Dr. Viviana Munoz Tellez

On 2 July 2025, at the sides of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, a high-level dialogue on AMR was held, co-organized by the Governments of Kenya and the United Kingdom (co-chairs of the Group of Friends of AMR), the South Centre, FAO, and the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform. The event took place at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, with in-person participation and webcast. Ambassadors and senior officials of Kenya, South Africa, India and Brazil, among others, made interventions in the high-level segment. The South Centre was also part of the panel.

The theme of the event “Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation” provided an opportunity for forward-looking dialogue on the urgent need to transform how antimicrobials are used in agrifood systems, and the government’s required leadership in developing and implementing national policy frameworks that are adapted to national contexts, priorities and needs to address AMR and in adopting measures to incentivize responsible practices in the agrifood sector.

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44th FAO Conference Side Event, 2 July 2025

Implementing the 2024 AMR Political Declaration: Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation

High-Level Dialogue on AMR, with the support of South Centre

2 July 2025, 12:30 – 16:00 CEST

FAO Headquarters (Rome), Iran Room (B-116 bis)

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Research Paper 208, 10 September 2024

Catalyzing Policy Action to Address Antimicrobial Resistance: Next Steps for Global Governance

By Anthony D. So

The United Nations General Assembly has taken up Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) twice in the past decade, but the follow-through on commitments and financing of both Global and National Action Plans on AMR have lagged considerably behind the policymaker pronouncements. The need to update the intersectoral approach to the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance requires urgent attention if measurable progress is to be made in tackling this One Health challenge. This paper identifies where progress must pick up and outlines how intersectoral action might catalyze needed next steps.

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