Third Global High-Level Ministerial Antimicrobial Resistance Conference commences

THE Third Global High-level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which the Sultanate of Oman hosted and commenced on Nov. 25, 2022 at Kempinski Hotel. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of H.H. Sayyid Taimur bin Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Oman.

The conference was organized by the government of the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in cooperation with Gulf Health Council for the Cooperation Council States as well the Quadripartite Alliance formed by the United Nations to monitor antibiotic resistance - World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

The third conference created from the success of the two previous ministerial conferences held in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2019, which the Sultanate of Oman participated in with a delegation headed by the Minister of Health and a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

The two conferences highlighted the collaborative work to tackle the risk of the spread of antibiotic resistance. During its active participation in these two conferences, the Sultanate of Oman expressed its desire to organize and host the third conference, which was widely welcomed by the participating countries and organizations due to the Sultanate of Oman’s reputation.

Conducting the event in the Sultanate of Oman represents a shift for the conference to include other regions beyond the European continent, exchange experiences, and benefit from the actions taken in those countries, which immensely helped to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes and their adverse effects on the health and economy.

Given the importance of the event, the Sultanate of Oman prepared to organize and host this conference in coordination with countries, organizations, and relevant scientific bodies for approximately one year in order to provide constructive content and outcomes that serve as a fundamental addition in countering the risks of AMR locally, regionally and globally.

In this regard, a supervisory committee has been formed that includes their Excellencies Ministers of Health, Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, and Information, as well as the chairman of the Environment Authority, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs, MoH’s Undersecretary for Health Affairs, and AFWR’s Undersecretary for Agriculture. The committee supervised the conference’s organization procedures, adopting the conference program and outcomes, communicating with the Ministers of the participating countries, and discussing details regarding the Muscat Manifesto as a core outcome of the Conference.

Moreover, the organizing committee of the conference was formed with the chairman of the director general of Diseases Surveillance and Control in the Ministry of Health (MoH), along with representatives from MoH, AFWR and Gulf Health Council. The organizing committee coordinated all related activities, developed the programs and outcomes, and shared them with member states in the WHO, the (FAO), and other parties involved in the conference. The committee also includes sub-teams that are concerned with the various organizational, administrative, and media matters.

The agenda of the conference program included ministerial plenary sessions on AMR and the political response, key challenges for the AMR response, and sharing solutions and innovations on the issue.

Moreover, the first day of the conference contained four key parallel sessions moderated by renowned international speakers from specialized organizations and institutions. The sessions addressed integrated surveillance, country implementation, political action and financing, and research and development.

The second day started by reviewing the four parallel sessions and their recommendations, followed by ministerial plenary discussion on effective collaboration and partnership that would be included within the conference report for follow up. Then all head of delegation had the opportunity to state their views on AMR and the Muscat Ministerial manifesto.

The theme of the conference this year is “The AMR: from Policy to One Health Action,”that aimed to accelerate tackling the antimicrobial resistance at the national, regional, and global levels, as well as to enhance international cooperation.

Around 50 representatives from different countries were expected to take part in the conference representing human health, animal health, and environment. Moreover, the directors general and presidents of WHO, FAO, OIE and UNEP participated in the conference. Renowned global experts representing health, animal, environment, economic and agricultural aspects have also been invited.

Several objectives were achieved through this conference including the promotion of the importance of political commitment to the One Health approach in addressing the AMR issue; highlighting the role of the environment in the spread of AMR and the importance of surveillance and monitoring of both AMR and antimicrobial use across all three domains (humans, animals and the environment), sharing successful examples in implementing the whole-of-government and One Health approaches to mitigate the threat of AMR, as well providing opportunities for collaboration and partnership between countries and international organizations to address AMR in the context of the SDGs.

The issue of AMR had a considerable attention on the local and international levels. Hence, the Conference represented a valuable opportunity to leverage global experiences and conceptualize and submit solutions to international organizations and the UN. The conference aspired to progress from policy-making to framing action and governance indicators to proceeding at the national, regional and global levels.

Key outcomes of the conference include the Muscat Manifesto on accelerating One Health action on AMR to meet the 2030 SDGs targets and agree upon the proposed indicators for following up antibiotic consumption. It is hoped that the Muscat Manifesto will be submitted for discussion at the upcoming UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AMR in 2024; recommendation on a global framework for a One Health surveillance system for AMR involving all aspects of the One Health; and secure the inclusion of AMR in the United Nation Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.