World AMR Awareness Week 2024

All times are in Geneva time/Central European Time (CET).

18 November

Defending Our Future: Tackling AMR and STIs in 2024    

18 November | 13:00 – 14:30 CET| Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs programmes, WHO

The WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Programmes, in collaboration with the AMR Division, is organizing a webinar focused on AMR and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are particularly concerned about AMR because of the widespread resistance to most medicines used to treat Neisseria gonorrhoeae in many parts of the world. Other STI pathogens with potential AMR include Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis.

This webinar aims to connect with global experts, stakeholders, communities to raise the visibility of STIs AMR, to raise awareness and understanding of STIs AMR and to promote best practices to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant STIs. It also aims to explore innovative strategies to combat antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea by presenting the latest data, treatment options, country experiences, and inputs from the affected populations.

Access recordings here                        Passcode: 8M53#AU9

Breaking barriers: Preventing HIV drug resistance through stigma reduction and enhanced HIV quality of care

18 November | 15:00 - 16:30 CET| Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs programmes, WHO

The WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Programmes, in collaboration with the AMR Division, is organizing a webinar to foster a deeper understanding and advocacy for HIV drug resistance prevention. The webinar will spotlight the voices of advocates and people living with HIV, providing a platform for real-world experiences and expert discussions. The webinar will focus on reducing stigma, promoting antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and implementing WHO-recommended best practices in HIV care, which aligns with the event's theme: Educate. Advocate. Act Now. These efforts aim to enhance long-term treatment outcomes and inspire immediate action in professional practice.

19 November

From Jeddah to Geneva: Multilateralism Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance

19 November | 10:00 - 11:30 CET| Health Diplomacy Alliance & Geneva Environment Network 

The Health Diplomacy Alliance, in collaboration with the Geneva Environment Network, is hosting a hybrid event focused on advancing multilateral commitments made during the 4th High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Jeddah. AMR remains a pressing global health challenge, that requires sustained commitment and collaboration from all nations to achieve effective, long-term solutions.

This event will gather leading experts and the diplomatic community to explore the frameworks and mechanisms essential for translating international AMR commitments into actionable solutions that foster and sustain multilateral action. Join us, in person or virtually, as we bridge the dialogue from New York, Jeddah to Geneva, promoting unified, multisectoral action in combating AMR globally. 

The Race Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Neonates: Insights on Data, Infection Prevention, and Stewardship

19 November | 13:30 - 15:00 CET| U.S. CDC’s International Infection Control Branch

U.S. CDC’s International Infection Control Branch and global partners will host a webinar. The free webinar will include three presentations from global experts in the field (Global Epidemiology of Antimicrobial Resistance in Neonatal Populations; Back to Basics – Reductions in Antimicrobial Resistance in Neonates through Focused Infection Prevention and Control Interventions; National Strategies for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Neonatal Populations and Translation into Practice) followed by a panel discussion and a time for questions and answers. Spanish and French interpretation will be available.

The Future of Addressing AMR – Taking Action Following the High-level and Ministerial Meetings on AMR

19 November | 14:00 – 15:30 CET| AMR Industry Alliance

Aligned with the 2024 World AMR Awareness Week theme, Educate. Advocate. Act Now, this webinar hosted by the AMR Industry Alliance brings together global experts to discuss the outcomes of recent UN and ministerial meetings on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and actionable next steps for continued progress on AMR. Featured speakers from the WHO, CARB-X, and others will discuss the critical role of diagnostics in stewardship and access, concrete steps toward expanding access to antimicrobials, and how to catalyze research and development. This webinar will also feature the announcement of the 2024 AMR Industry Alliance Stewardship Prize winner.

Collaborative Pathways: Engaging Civil Society in AMR action- Briefing Session on Antimicrobial Resistance for civil society groups

19 November | 14:00 – 15:00 CET| WHO Civil Society Commission and AMR Division

The Global Action Plan on AMR and the WHO people-centered approach to addressing AMR highlight the importance of civil society engagement in designing and implementing AMR interventions. The critical role of civil society has also been clearly recognized in the political declaration of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR 2024. They are mentioned as key stakeholders, and the political declaration calls for their engagement in developing meaningful and sustainable solutions. However, the number of civil society organizations working on AMR issues have not increased exponentially in the last decade. This briefing session is to reach out to more civil society groups who are not currently engaged on AMR and sensitize them about various dimensions of the problem. The briefing session is organized in collaboration with the WHO Civil Society Commission.

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Launch of the WHO report to estimate the impact of vaccines on antimicrobial resistance and use

19 November | 15:00 - 16:30 CET| Department of Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals, WHO

This webinar will explore the vital role vaccines play in mitigating one of the most critical health challenges of our time—AMR. The report, developed with insights from global experts, quantifies the potential of vaccines to prevent infections, reduce antibiotic use, and curb the spread of resistant pathogens. Hear from key contributors and learn about innovative strategies to integrate vaccines into AMR action plans. The panelist will discuss how vaccines reduce AMR and antibiotic use, the value of vaccines in reducing AMR, how to consider vaccines and their role in reducing AMR in the context of AMR and immunization strategies and what needs to be done to fully leverage the role of vaccines in reducing AMR. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with thought leaders and explore how vaccines can protect global health. Interpretation to French and Spanish is available.

Hepatitis B Drug Resistance: Updates, Unanswered Questions, Key Challenges, and the Roadmap for the Future    

19 November | 15:00 - 16:30 CET| Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs programmes, WHO

The WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Programmes, in collaboration with the AMR Division, is organizing a webinar on hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug resistance. The webinar will explore both what is currently known and the critical unknowns surrounding HBV drug resistance, presenting strategies for monitoring and management while identifying key areas that require further investigation. The objective is to educate healthcare providers and public health professionals about HBV drug resistance, advocate for greater attention to knowledge gaps, and inspire action to tackle key challenges. It will highlight critical gaps, explore monitoring and management strategies, and provide a roadmap for addressing HBV drug resistance, aligning with the WAAW theme Educate. Advocate. Act Now.

Access recordings here                       Passcode: 7YcL&J+R

20 November

Promoting the WHO AWaRE antibiotic book – Best practices from youth groups across the Eastern Mediterranean Region

20 November | 15:00 – 16:30 CET| Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office 

In this webinar, student groups (who won last year’s student competition) will highlight their work, best practices and lesson learned after having implemented various creative activities in their countries to promote the WHO AWaRE antibiotic book over the past year. It will also encourage participants to share their input and lead their own activities in the future. The students share progress, best practices and success stories from their implementation journey. You will also get a chance to interact with them, share input and learn more about how you can participate in AMR-related opportunities and lead your own community-level action on AMR.

A Shot at Prevention – Bringing vaccines into AMR control

20 November | 15:00 – 16:00 CET| One Health Trust 

Vaccines are critical prevention tools for both infectious disease and associated antibiotic use. The recent Lancet Series on AMR, written by experts brought together by the One Health Trust, emphasizes that increasing coverage of routine pediatric vaccines alone could prevent 181,500 deaths due to AMR each year. The latest WHO technical report demonstrates that better use of vaccines can save 2.5 billion doses of antibiotics. In the 2024 United Nations declaration on AMR, vaccines are included as essential prevention tools for which there is a need to increase equitable access. How can we move from global-level recommendations to country-specific strategies? Join this webinar to learn about progress and barriers to the inclusion of vaccines in AMR strategies in country-specific contexts, the role of adult vaccination programs in reducing AMR, vaccines in WHO’s People-Centered approach to AMR, and more.

Optimizing Healthcare Sustainability through Antimicrobial Stewardship

20 November | 17:00 - 18:00 CET| The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to present a World AMR Awareness Week webinar for World Children’s Day. Please join us for a webinar on Optimizing Healthcare Sustainability through Antimicrobial Stewardship. From PIDS, Dr. Preeti Jaggi (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) will present ‘Intersection of healthcare sustainability and antimicrobial stewardship efforts,’ and from WHO, Dr. Sriram Raghu (World Health Organization AMR Division) will present ‘Essential tests for the diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections and antimicrobial resistance.’

AMR Global Strategy

20 November | 17:00 - 18:30 CET| ESCMID and ISID

Global collaboration and policymaking are essential to effectively combat AMR. This session will discuss the strategic directions from the policymakers, the specific needs of low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), the potential role of vaccines in reducing AMR as well as the importance of equity within AMR policy and practice. The focus will be on actionable policies and collaborative efforts to address this global health challenge. The panelists discuss strategic directions and the opportunities for implementation of global and regional AMR Policy in the current landscape. Needs assessment in implementing AMR Policies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries will be discussed. 

21 November

Creating the antimicrobial stewards of the future: The importance of AMR education for children and young people

21 November | 10:00 - 11:30 CET| Fleming Initiative

Educational initiatives aimed at school age children and young people are crucial in creating lasting and meaningful antimicrobial stewardship for generations to come, however, AMR is not adequately represented in educational curricula. This is despite its applicability across a range of subjects, including science, human geography, and personal/health education. At the Fleming Initiative we aim to advocate for the inclusion of educational initiatives within school curricula globally, co-designed with teachers and young people, in line with commitments in the political declaration of the 2024 UN High Level meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance. The aims of this webinar are to showcase global examples of educational initiatives, facilitating learning from one another; explore the benefits and practicalities of embedding AMR into national curricula across the world; galvanize those working in the AMR space to campaign for the importance of creating advocates for antimicrobial stewardship in young people

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Mobilising Pharma to act on the AMR Political Declaration

21 November | 12:00 - 13:00 CET| Access to Medicine Foundation

This live webinar will be a forum to discuss how we can better engage pharmaceutical companies to take action on AMR. It builds upon the targets and actions outlined in the recent discussions at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on AMR. The webinar will clarify the specific responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies in fulfilling the commitments outlined in the political declaration. It will provide a clear overview of current industry efforts to combat AMR, showcasing best practices, and will outline actionable steps for further progress. The session will also examine ways in which stakeholders, such as policymakers and advocacy groups, can actively support and collaborate with the pharmaceutical sector to ensure these commitments are translated into measurable and sustained action.

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Why is sharing knowledge about IPC to prevent AMR still so important?

21 November |13:30-15:00 CET| IPC Unit/ Department of Integrated Health Services, WHO

Globally, WHO highlights the importance of training of health workers for sustainable improvement in reducing AMR through infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. With a global workforce of sixty-five million health workers, this year's World AMR Awareness Week campaign theme to Educate, Advocate and Act can help save lives. The objective of this webinar is to provide perspectives and evidence related to the value of AMR/IPC education and training followed by panel discussion about how the various WHO resources on IPC and AMR can be used to advance AMR/IPC education at regional, country and health facility level.

Access recordings here                              Passcode: .Wcd6pST

Global Webinar on prevention and management of drug-resistant infections in healthcare settings

21 November |14:30-18:30 CET| Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery

This webinar is organized by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. During the webinar a free global digital textbook on “Infection Prevention and Management in Healthcare” will be presented. Throughout the meeting, many speakers will debate the main aspects of AMR and the prevention and management of infections in hospital settings.

Widening the engagement of patient advocacy groups and networks in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) action: A Global Roundtable (virtual)

21 November |14:30-16:00 CET| WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors

WHO launched a Task Force of AMR survivors in 2023 to give a platform for and elevate the voices of those with experience of complications from drug resistant infections. This was done with an understanding that patient stories humanize a complex, technical health and development challenge like AMR. The role of patients and survivors has been clearly recognized in the political declaration of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR 2024. They are mentioned as key stakeholders and the political declaration calls for their engagement in developing meaningful solutions to the this global threat. In this regard, it is important to widen the scope of patient-led advocacy, through engagement of a larger set of patient groups and networks around the world. This virtual roundtable will serve as a platform to share experiences and will facilitate better understanding of patient engagement strategies and opportunities to all critical stakeholders involved in AMR interventions.

Access recordings here                          Passcode: 1p$!ql5n

Strengthening Clinical Antimicrobial Stewardship – Strategies and Best Practices from Across the Western Pacific Region

21 November | 3:00 – 4:15 CET| WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific

Clinicians and healthcare professionals are invited to join this regional webinar as part of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024, focusing on the theme “Educate. Advocate. Act now.” This session will explore strategies and best practices for clinical antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ensure responsible use of antimicrobials across the Western Pacific Region. The webinar provides an opportunity for clinicians and other health professionals to share insights and learn from AMS initiatives.

When promises aren’t enough: Improving access to antimicrobials amidst global crises 

21 November | 15:00 - 16:00 CET | AMR Policy Accelerator & Center on Forced Displacement

As the world faces rising levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) the disparities in access to essential antimicrobials have become more apparent particularly in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time numerous regions grapple with conflict and it is critical to understand how the disruption of health systems and the displacement of populations, with a disproportionate percentage being women and children, further impede global action on AMR.  Join our panel including Dr. Angela Uyen Cateriano of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr. Nour Shamas of the WHO Task Force of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Survivors, Suzanne Naro of the AMR Policy Accelerator and our moderator Dr. Muhammad Zaman of the Center on Forced Displacement for a 1-hour webinar exploring the access to antimicrobials, equity, and humanitarian crises.

Protecting the youngest

21 November |16:30-17:30 CET| International Pediatric Association (IPA)

This webinar organized by the International Pediatric Association brings together experts from the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN) to discuss the prevention of neonatal infections as well as investigation of infection outbreaks in neonatal units. The WHO expert will discuss about WHO’s role in tackling AMR in neonatal sepsis.

22 November

Your Voice, Your Impact: Global Youth Consultation on AMR

22 November |15:00-16:30 CET| Quadripartite Working Group on youth engagement in AMR

The Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR has completed its first year and is setting ambitious goals for the second year of this term. A key priority is to enhance engagement during World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) and to engage with youth through online platforms. This initiative aims to bring together young individuals from diverse fields to engage with the Working Group, contribute to future projects, and share their ideas for boosting youth involvement in the AMR response.  The target audience includes youth and stakeholders who are either involved in or interested in addressing AMR. The objectives of the upcoming webinar are to highlight the achievements of the Working Group over the past year; familiarize participants with the outcomes of the UNGA High-Level Meeting on AMR 2024 and the fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR; and promote existing materials and resources, encouraging their effective use. This event presents a valuable opportunity to amplify youth voices and strengthen collaboration in the AMR response.

Access recordings here                       Passcode: H&Tw1H8%

Empowered Communities of Latin America and the Caribbean Take on WAAW 2024

22 November |15:00 CET| Pan American Health Organization and ReAct Latin America

Join PAHO, ReAct Latin America, and many other partners across the Region on Friday, November 22, as part of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024 celebrations, for a regional webinar showcasing inspiring country activities under the Empowered Communities to Tackle AMR initiative. This event will highlight successful practices from across the region, demonstrating how communities are actively contributing to the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through education, advocacy, and action. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from regional efforts, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaboration in addressing AMR. Let’s harness the power of communities and make a difference together!

25 November

Antimicrobial resistance and pneumonia: the way forward

25 November |17:00 – 18:30 CET| Every Breath Counts Coalition

The Every Breath Counts Coalition is hosting a webinar on antimicrobial resistance and pneumonia. Experts from the World Health Organization, Oxford University, One Health Trust, and the University of Washington will discuss the significant global burden of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia pathogens across all ages and explore strategies to combat it.