Item 7.2 Antimicrobial resistance
•Norway takes note of the progress against the very serious threat of antimicrobial resistance, including that not more than 32 countries have completed their national plans and have started the implementation process. For the 103 countries that have not yet responded to WHO’s survey, we would like to hear from the Secretariat on what steps are being taken to follow up with these countries.
•We congratulate WHO, OIE and FAO on the development of the Joint self-assessment questionnaire on AMR. Monitoring and evaluation are crucial components of the Global Action Plan. For the future we should aim for a system where countries report on AMR through the JEE tool.
•The environment and the role of the total ecosystem must be seen in relation to in the spread of antibiotic resistance, both when it comes to agriculture and contamination from pharmaceutical and other industry. In keeping with the principle of One Health, we encourage WHO to work with the UN Environmental Programme, as well as UN organizations strongly involved in the work on the Sustainable Development Goals, such as UNDP and UNICEF.
•We look forward to the rapid establishment of an Inter-agency coordination group in dialogue with the United Nations Secretary General, and other UN agencies and international organizations, and stress the urgency of this matter.
•For the options of a ‘Development and stewardship framework”, we note that the secretariat will organize expert consultation and discussions with Member States before the Assembly in May. There is a certain urgency in this matter, which must be balanced with good processes to involve all relevant stakeholders.