Honourable Minister Shiozaki and fellow ministers of health;
Representatives of ministries of health and ministries of agriculture;
Distinguished speakers and panellists;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Allow me to welcome all of you and thank you for the honour of speaking about antimicrobial resistance — or AMR — on behalf of myself and the WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
I would like to express our deepest appreciation to the Government of Japan and the Minister of Health and Welfare for hosting today’s event.
This is our first time the Western Pacific and South-East Asia to come together as a group to explore common opportunities and challenges of AMR. Combined, the two regions make up about 50% of the world's population.
Japan’s leadership has been instrumental in bringing together ministries of health and agriculture from across Asia for this meeting.
Next month, Japan will present the results of this meeting to the G7 summit, as the host and only Asian member of the G7.
From there, your recommendations will be taken forward to the United Nations General Assembly — where your work here today can have a major impact globally.
Together, our regions contain some of the world's most dynamic economies and dense population centres.
In fact, Asian megacities account for 14 of the world's 20 largest urban areas.
These settings are often breeding grounds for emerging infections that can spread quickly. Combatting these infections often leads to misuse and overuse of antibiotics — which is the chief cause of AMR.
We must accept that antimicrobials are fragile resources that can be made ineffective by mismanagement. Beyond their role in human health, antimicrobials affect the social and economic development of nations.
Without effective antibiotics, we cannot reduce the burden of infectious diseases, which is still significant in many Asia Pacific countries.
We also risk losing our ability to make modern medical interventions, such as cancer therapy, surgeries and organ transplants.
Since 2010, governing bodies for both regions have adopted resolutions on the prevention and containment of AMR. But the resulting strategies and action agenda still have not been fully implemented in every country.
Both Dr Singh and I have made AMR a flagship priority in our regions.
We are supporting countries that must take critical steps to preserve the effectiveness of these lifesaving medicines.
If antimicrobial-resistant pathogens can develop in one country, then no country is safe in the age of globalization.
AMR can appear to move slowly, so slowly that you do not recognize the crisis — like rising floodwaters — until it is too late.
Antibiotic use in humans, animals, and agriculture is still increasing across the Asia Pacific region.
Some increase is needed to fill gaps in access to essential antibiotics. But we are seeing high rates of overuse and misuse in all countries human and agriculture sectors.
This is important because the overall volume of antibiotics used drives resistance — not just those used by people, but also in food production.
At the same time, rising incomes have increased the demand for meat and fish. This demand has been met by practices that often involve the heavy use of antibiotics.
We must ensure that all countries follow multi-sectoral “one health” strategies with strong national action plans and coordination across all sectors, including veterinary medicine, agriculture and human health.
WHO works closely with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as well as the World Organisation for Animal Health to support implementation of these strategies.
Member States' commitment to work towards universal health coverage will also help fight AMR. Countries will improve the management of antimicrobials through stricter regulation, financing and prescribing practices. Infection prevention and control systems will also be strengthened under universal health coverage.
To combat AMR, countries must also enforce strict controls on veterinary and food production use — especially for antimicrobials that are the last resort for threats to human health.
At the same time, we must find ways to spark innovation to develop new diagnostics, antimicrobials and vaccines to fill the near-empty global pipeline.
AMR has the potential to undo decades of medical advances. It threatens larger development goals, and can even derail progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
I am pleased today to be speaking to people who can move the agenda forward on AMR — people who can make a difference by making AMR a priority in national development agenda.
On behalf of WHO, we stand ready to support all efforts to fight AMR and safeguard development gains.
I wish you a productive discussion and look forward to your suggestions for targeted actions to combat AMR in the Asia Pacific region.
Thank you.