On June 18-19, the United Nations Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (IACG) visited Argentina, organised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the OIE Regional Representation for the Americas. The OIE was represented in the mission by Dr Matthew Stone (Deputy Director General), Dr Luis Barcos (Regional Representative for the Americas), and Dr Margot Raicek (IACG Secretariat).
The IACG was formed following the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, whereby Member States adopted the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, recognising the magnitude of this global problem and consensus about the actions needed to prevent a post-antibiotic era. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the Political Declaration, the Secretary-General established the IACG, in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The Group is co-chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and the Director General of the World Health Organization, and comprises high level representatives of relevant UN agencies, other international organizations, and individual experts across different sectors.
The objective of the IACG is to provide practical guidance for approaches needed to ensure sustained effective global action to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including options to improve coordination, taking into account the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance endorsed by the membership of FAO, OIE and WHO in 2015. It will produce a report to the Secretary-General for the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. IACG members use country visits to sense-check developing recommendations, consider the potential support options for their implementation, and gather case studies from the field for the IACG’s final report.
From 18-19 June, members of the IACG met with government officials in Argentina working on antimicrobial resistance in the human, animal and environmental health sectors, and included discussions with the Minister of Health (Prof. Dr. Adolfo Rubinstein), the Minister of Agriculture (Dr. Luis Miguel Etchevehere), and leaders of the private sector. These exchanges provided key insight into the success and challenges of Argentina’s ongoing work on AMR and the implementation of its National Action Plan, and yielded invaluable context to the development of the IACG’s future recommendations to the United Nations General Assembly.
