WHO’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Department and WHO Academy are planning a consultation meeting for a multi-year AMR learning and health workforce capacity building programme in collaboration with key partners.
Context
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, making infections harder to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death, and undermining the effectiveness of modern medicine. This issue has gained prominence on the political agenda, requiring multidisciplinary solutions as outlined in the World Health Assembly's 2024 resolution on strategic and operational priorities to address AMR. In line with this, the UN General Assembly's 2024 Political Declaration on AMR sets targets to reduce the impact of drug-resistant infections and calls for coordinated global action to achieve these goals.
In 2015, the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR recognized “improving awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, education and training” as one of its strategic objectives. The UN General Assembly 2024 political declaration also committed to integrating AMR modules in education and training curricula through systematic public, private, stakeholder and community engagement; and called for strengthening national capacities by investing in the training, development, recruitment and retention of a competent and skilled workforce.
Despite this recognition, implementation gaps persist: many countries lack structured curricula, continuous professional development modules, competency assessment strategies or interdisciplinary training approaches. In many settings, AMR education and training is limited to occasional awareness campaigns (e.g. during WAAW) rather than systematic, sustained capacity building focused on key competencies.
Therefore, to strengthen the AMR response through a well-trained and competent health workforce, WHO is designing an AMR learning strategy. A country-focused, multi-year learning programme is being planned with the WHO Academy to empower frontline health staff, improve patient care, and adapt to evolving challenges in AMR management. The aims of the continuous learning will include appropriate management of infections, antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, laboratory strengthening, and infection prevention, equipping healthcare professionals with skills to combat AMR effectively.
Objectives of the consultation meeting
- Define priorities for a learning programme, including target audience and content.
- Map existing AMR learning programmes and their uptake.
- Conduct a rapid gap analysis and identifying opportunities for action.
- Define an optimal learning strategy, including objectives, scope, approach and expected outcomes.
- Plan key aspects of the programme and responsibilities for WHO and key partners.
Participants
The meeting will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders (approximately 30-35) involved in AMR and IPC. Participants will include representatives from WHO headquarters, regional and country offices, the WHO Academy, and Member States, with a strong focus on low- and middle-income country perspectives. Academia, professional associations, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, foundations, and donors are also invited to participate and contribute.
If you wish to participate, please send an email to academy@who.int
Please note that the meeting will be held in English. Due to limited budget, we will not be able to sponsor participants.