Global regulatory leaders reaffirmed the critical role of antimicrobial labelling for appropriate use and disposal in the global response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the Second Global Regulatory Authorities Summit on AMR from 14-15 January 2026. The leaders concluded that clear, practical and enforceable labelling requirements can deliver significant public health gains across human, animal and environmental sectors with a One Health approach.
Convened by the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR, the Summit brought together more than 200 participants from national and regional regulatory authorities across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors, together with international organizations and technical partners. Discussions reflected global, regional and national regulatory perspectives, highlighting diverse implementation contexts and shared practices and challenges.
Dr Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director-General and Chief Veterinarian of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), highlighted the importance of regulatory strengthening in agri-food systems. "Strengthening the regulatory practices for medicines in general, and antimicrobials in particular, is one area that we need to focus on, and indeed, proper regulations of antimicrobial medicines throughout their life cycle require action across various sectors. The agri-food system is everyone's business, and it is a benefit for all of us."
In his opening remarks, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the critical role of regulators. "As regulators, you play a vital role in translating the political commitments countries have made into real-world practice. Labelling is a powerful tool to do that, by providing clear information on indications, dosage, side effects, and storage conditions. It can also promote safe use across sectors and support responsible disposal."
Appropriate regulatory labelling is a low-cost, high-impact tool that can be quickly applied in many countries. Well-designed labels, backed by proper implementation and enforcement, are seen as a key way to guide user behaviour and help achieve national and global goals against AMR. Summit participants stressed that enforcement should be strengthened through surveillance, inspection, and regional regulatory harmonization to maximize impact across human, animal and environmental sectors.
"Strong regulatory practices on labelling can promote appropriate use and safe disposal, helping reduce environmental pollution, one of the key drivers of AMR. The good news is that environmental labelling for medicines is gaining traction globally. It supports lifecycle transparency, empowers informed decision-making, promotes sustainable practices, and helps regulators mitigate environmental impact," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), during her remarks.
Across discussions, participants emphasized the need for pragmatic, phased approaches that reflect national regulatory capacities and realities. Strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration under the One Health approach was identified as essential, alongside active engagement with consumer groups and civil society to ensure that labelling requirements translate into real-world public health impact.
Additionally, a central takeaway from the discussions was that labelling must be practical and effective for all stakeholders. Participants stressed the need for information that is clear, concise, and actionable, ensuring end users can easily understand and apply it. They highlighted the importance of using context-appropriate communication tools — including local languages, symbols, and pictograms — to reach diverse audiences, and ensuring labels include information on appropriate use and safe disposal.
"Every label we improve, every substandard or falsified product we remove from the market, every action we take to strengthen regulation, and every act of coordination all are essential steps toward preserving the effectiveness of antimicrobials promoting a healthier, more resilient future for all of us – humans, animals, plants, and the environment," stressed Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Limited pack size, multilingual requirements, and gaps in disposal infrastructure are challenges the participants discussed, however they acknowledged these could be addressed through public awareness initiatives, digital tools such as e-labelling and QR codes, and greater regulatory harmonization. The Regulatory Agencies Global Network Against AMR (RAGNA) secretariat also indicated that regulators are part of the frontline actors in controlling AMR.
The Summit concluded with a shared understanding of practical priorities and enabling conditions to strengthen antimicrobial labelling requirements for appropriate use and disposal at the global, regional, and national level. These insights will inform ongoing efforts to support countries in enhancing regulatory measures.
The Quadripartite Joint Secretariat will publish a Summit report with practical actions to guide continued collaboration among regulatory authorities and partners to advance One Health action on AMR.
