The Sultanate of Oman will host the Third Global High-level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Muscat from November 24 to 25, 2022.
Minister of Health, Dr Hilal al Sabti, said that AMR is still a concern for the ministry even though the situation is stable.
"We have to be cautious and advocate for the resistance against antibiotics that are available in the market, which are approved internationally and nationally.
We have to be meticulous, and the earlier we tackle it, the better. It is important to monitor the situation to avoid the negative impact," the minister said while addressing a press conference.
"The conference will pave the way to bold and specific political commitments in the 2024 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR," said some officials.
The AMR Conference aims to accelerate tackling antimicrobial resistance at the national, regional, and global levels, as well as to promote international cooperation.
The third conference builds on the success of the two previous Ministerial Conferences held in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2019. The 3rd AMR Conference will gather ministers of health, agriculture, animal health, and environment along with the Quadripartite Alliance (WHO, FAO, OIE, UNEP), policymakers, key global experts, representatives from the private sectors, civil society and related research institutions and international organisations.
The conference will be conducted through keynote speeches, case studies to demonstrate best practices, and interactive discussions between participants. The conference will be an opportunity for an interactive dialogue on One Health's Action to address the AMR pandemic. Therefore, the theme of the conference this year is "The AMR Pandemic: from Policy to One Health Action".
The Director General at the Ministry of Health, Dr Saif al Abri, said to Oman Observer that Covid-19 taught a lot.
"Many people across the globe have died because of Antimicrobial resistance. The experience has taught us the importance of inter-sectoral collaboration between all the stakeholders, especially in human and animal health and the importance of rational use of anti-microbes," said Dr Saif.
He pointed out that it needs local, regional and global interventions between countries and different organisations.
Dr Saif explained, "The work has to be within the countries, starting from the community up to the top - the decision makers. We have started a collaboration as a 'One Health' approach for Antimicrobial resistance where we are looking at humans, animals and the environment. It needs the collaboration of all sectors, and media is one of the most important sectors that have to play a role as an advocate for the AMR challenge within the country," noted Dr Saif.
Conducting the conference in the Sultanate of Oman will gather other regions beyond the European continent. It will also exchange experiences and benefit from the actions taken in those countries, which immensely helped to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes and their adverse effects on the health and economy.
The conference is organised by the government of the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in cooperation with the Quadripartite Alliance formed by the United Nations to monitor the antibiotic resistance - World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - and Gulf Health Council for the Cooperation Council states.
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