Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widespread and increasing, threatening decades of medical progress and putting the health of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems at risk. Antibiotics that once reliably cured common infections are rapidly losing effectiveness. AMR is already responsible for more than a million deaths each year, with the toll expected to climb in the coming decades.
As World AMR Awareness Week approaches (18 to 24 November 2025), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners urge all countries to turn political commitments into life-saving interventions. This year's theme, "Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future", builds on momentum from the 2024 UN High-Level Meeting on AMR and the adoption of its political declaration. It calls for strengthening surveillance, improving access to quality medicines and diagnostics, spurring innovation, and building resilient health and food systems.
"All counties are faced with antimicrobial resistance. Drug-resistant pathogens are increasing everywhere, and the less access people have to prevention, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment, the more likely they are to suffer from drug-resistant infections," said Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. "World AMR Awareness Week reminds us that protecting antimicrobials is a shared responsibility. We must act now to safeguard these life-saving medicines for ourselves and for future generations."
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Because AMR crosses borders and sectors, coordinated action is essential. World AMR Awareness Week urges policy-makers, health workers, veterinarians, farmers, environmental and wastewater professionals, researchers, civil society, and communities to work together. Whether it's a hospital administrator setting up an antimicrobial stewardship team or a farmer adopting sustainable waste management practices, every action counts.
The campaign, held annually, aims to:
raise awareness and understanding of AMR;
promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens; and
advocate for concrete actions in response to AMR, building on the WHA resolution, 2024 UNGA High-level Meeting on AMR and the fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR.
Governments, civil society organizations, health partners, and communities are encouraged to organize campaigns during World AMR Awareness Week. The AMR Quadripartite organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), provide advocacy and technical materials to support these activities on the campaign website , as well as through participating in campaign events .
Together, we can keep antimicrobials effective and build a healthier, more sustainable world for generations to come.
