Environmental surveillance needs to be included as a critical pillar in integrated surveillance of AMR

Quadripartite organizations, made up of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World
Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), have established the Quadripartite
Technical Group on Integrated Surveillance on antimicrobial use and
resistance.The Technical Group will advise the Quadripartite Organizations and the
Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on needs, scope and
form of integrated surveillance to support capacity building of countries
on surveillance of antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance.
“Countries have different priorities and approaches to how antimicrobials
are used and monitored and how AMR surveillance should be conducted in the
agro food systems. The mandate of the Technical Group to define these
priorities and needs within a harmonized framework is pertinent” says Ms
Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.

“Environmental surveillance needs to be included as a critical pillar in
integrated surveillance of AMR and AMU across sectors. The Quadripartite
Technical Group is part of the consolidated cooperation to address what is
needed in the global One Health response to AMR” says Ms Jacqueline
Álvarez, Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch, UN Environment
Programme.