Friends and colleagues,
Guten tag and good afternoon.
It is an honour to join you all today at the launch of the AMR Action Fund.
I want to thank everybody who helped turn this idea into a reality: thank you so much indeed, pharmaceutical companies and foundations, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the European Investment Bank, the Wellcome Trust, and of course my colleagues here at WHO.
Much gratitude for making this happen-----
COVID-19 has demonstrated all too well the consequences of the failure to invest in preparedness, and the dramatic impact it has on all sectors.
As we continue to tackle the pandemic, we must simultaneously ensure that efforts to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance are accelerated.
AMR is a slow tsunami that threatens to undo a century of medical progress.
A record number of countries are now monitoring and reporting on antibiotic resistance to WHO.
And as you know, the data they provide reveals that resistance to essential medicines to treat infections continues to spread across the world at an alarming rate.
The current pipeline of new antibiotics is insufficient, with private investment shrinking and public investment unable to fully compensate.
The AMR Action Fund will be key to reversing that trajectory, strengthening and accelerating the research and development of antibiotics through game-changing investments into biotechnology companies around the world.
Our focus must be on both priority pathogens and innovative new treatments.
I want to offer WHO’s full assistance in ensuring that public health, access and appropriate use are at the centre of the fund’s vision.
No one sector can tackle this challenge alone, which is why I welcome the collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, development banks and philanthropic organisations.
This is a new model for public-private-partnership: using private sector investment to address global public health challenges with guidance from the public sector.
And of course, existing public-private partnerships like the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership will remain as important as ever to find new innovative antimicrobial treatments.
WHO looks forward to working with the AMR Action Fund and all stakeholders to accelerate research and development to address this public health crisis.
Finally, whether it’s COVID-19 or AMR, the best shot we have is to work together in global solidarity.
I thank you. Vielen Dank.