Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK takes a global leadership role in tackling antimicrobial resistance.

The United Kingdom has taken a strong global leadership role in the course of the current Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy 2013-2018. This includes advocating for sustained political commitment and financial investment at the highest levels of multilateral fora including the European Union, the G7 and the G20. The UK also continues to provide support to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health, challenging them and other United Nations agencies and international organisations to deliver an ambitious, robust and joined-up response which aligns with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Global Action Plan on AMR.

The UK was instrumental in drafting and gaining support for a UN political declaration on AMR, which was agreed by 193 UN member states at the UN General Assembly in September 2016. Alongside this political agreement, the UK co-hosted a side event where over £600 million was committed by countries for AMR research and development. To ensure progress of the 2016 UN Resolution, the Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on AMR was established, with the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, providing pivotal momentum as an expert member and co-convener in her independent capacity. The IACG is due to report to the UN Secretary General in summer 2019.

Since the beginning of the current strategy in 2013, the UK Government has committed over £615 million in delivering domestic and international programmes to tackle AMR, including the Fleming Fund (£265 million) and the Global AMR Innovation Fund (£50 million). These programmes focus on supporting low- and middle-income countries to combat AMR in humans, animals and the environment `by supporting countries to implement comprehensive AMR National Action Plans and by leveraging investment and expertise from around the world. The Department also works with its executive agencies to combat AMR at the global level. For instance, Public Health England provides specialist training programmes internationally and is on the steering group of the WHO-hosted Global AMR Surveillance System.

The UK also continues to work with international agencies to ensure we effectively manage the risks of AMR in the environment. For instance, the UK worked with EU partners to develop the ‘AMR in the environment’ resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in December 2017.