The Quadripartite organizations, made up of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), have established the Quadripartite Technical Group on Integrated Surveillance on antimicrobial use and resistance.
The Technical Group will advise the Quadripartite Organizations and the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on needs, scope and form of integrated surveillance to support capacity building of countries on surveillance of antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance.
“Countries have different priorities and approaches to how antimicrobials are used and monitored and how AMR surveillance should be conducted in the agrifood systems. The mandate of the Technical Group to define these priorities and needs within a harmonized framework is pertinent” says Ms Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“Environmental surveillance needs to be included as a critical pillar in integrated surveillance of AMR and AMU across sectors. The Quadripartite Technical Group is part of the consolidated cooperation to address what is needed in the global One Health response to AMR” says Ms Jacqueline Álvarez, Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch, UN Environment Programme.
AMR is a global threat to animal and human health, food security and safety, economic growth, and the environment. It is mostly driven by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials.
“Effective surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance within and across sectors is an integral part of efforts to monitor the spread and impact of resistance and to mount an effective One Health response” says Professor Hanan Balkhy, WHO Assistant Director-General on AMR.
The Technical Group brings AMR and AMU surveillance expertise across sectors, including human health, terrestrial and aquatic animal health, plant health, food systems, and the environment.
“Following the Quadripartite-led process to establish the Technical Group, all sectors will benefit from their advice and guidance in developing context-specific infrastructure and capacities to help generate cross-sectoral data for meaningful action & policies” says Dr Montserrat Arroyo Kuribreña, Deputy Director-General, International Standards and Science, World Organisation for Animal Health.
The Technical Group will be supported by the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR (QJS). The QJS is based in WHO with dedicated liaison officers and technical staff from FAO, UNEP and WOAH and coordinates the AMR activities of the organisations drawing on their core mandates and comparative advantages to address needs of the global response across the One Health spectrum.
“There will be no integrated surveillance without strong sector-specific surveillance systems,” says Dr Haileyesus Getahun, Director of the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR and the Global Coordination Department of WHO. “The Technical Group will be critical to identify priorities and needs that will strengthen the capacity of countries for effective sector-specific and multisectoral systems.”
