Close up picture of bacteria.

    Infectious diseases Antimicrobial resistance – a growing threat to global health

    The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is making the global fight against infectious diseases more difficult, and significantly increases the risk of other medical treatments, such as surgery, caesarean sections, or chemotherapy for cancer. According to expert estimates, more than 4.7 million deaths worldwide were associated with antimicrobial resistance in 2021, with 1.1 million deaths directly attributable to AMR.

    Antimicrobial resistance affects countries across all regions and income levels. However, its causes and consequences are exacerbated by poverty and inequality, with low- and middle-income countries being the hardest hit. The highest mortality rates are found in countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The risk of dying from AMR is highest for children under five.

    Antimicrobial resistance causes significant costs. According to World Bank estimates, AMR will generate on billion US dollars in additional healthcare costs by 2050.

    German activities

    During its G7 presidency in 2015, the German government pledged its support for the World Health Organization's global AMR action plan and committed to the One Health approach. During its G20 presidency in 2017, Germany initiated the establishment of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub, a partnership of countries, non-governmental, and intergovernmental organisations working to improve collaboration in global AMR research.

    In the 2024 UN General Assembly declaration, member states committed to reducing global deaths from antibiotic resistance by 10 percent by 2030. All countries are expected to develop national action plans by 2030, setting specific targets to reduce antibiotic consumption and resistance rates.

    Germany's Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART 2030) was updated in 2023, with the corresponding action plan published in May 2024. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) was also involved in developing DART 2030 for the first time, alongside other German ministries. The strategy now includes a chapter on European and international cooperation

    The BMZ supports a joint secretariat (Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR) that coordinates the work of four international organisations on AMR and contributes to the AMR Multi-Partner [KA1] Trust Fund, which aims to advance the implementation of the WHO's global action plan. The BMZ is also part of a Team Europe Initiative supporting measures to prevent and combat disease outbreaks and antibiotic resistance in Africa, for instance by funding training programmes for healthcare personnel and the development and expansion of laboratories and surveillance systems.

    Through its PDP-ACCESS programme, the BMZ promotes public-private product development partnerships, one of its aim being to ensure the availability of newly developed antibiotics.