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Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Embargoed until 09.00 CET / 08.00 GMT on Monday, 16 November 2026
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHO media briefing on a decade of action against antimicrobial resistance and the remaining gaps
Ahead of World AMR Awareness Week 2026, WHO to release new country survey findings and two new AMR Diagnostic Initiative publications to close critical gaps in diagnosing drug-resistant infections
When: Friday, 13 November at 13.00 CET/12.00 GMT
What: Ahead of World AMR Awareness Week 2026, this media briefing will focus on progress and remaining gaps in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Ten years after countries began implementing national AMR action plans, WHO experts will present the findings of the 2026 Tracking Antimicrobial Resistance Country Self-assessment Survey (TrACSS): what has been achieved, where action is lagging and what is needed to close the gaps.
They will also discuss two new publications under the AMR Diagnostic Initiative, the WHO Essential package of diagnostic tests for bacterial and fungal infections and antimicrobial resistance (provides countries with a prioritized catalogue of the diagnostic tests needed to detect bacterial and fungal infections and AMR) and the WHO Toolkit of standard operating procedures for bacteriology, mycology and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Early access to the materials and interviews with WHO experts are offered to journalists only. The press kit will be available from Wednesday, 11 November. Please send requests to chriscadenk@who.int, copying mediainquiries@who.int. The embargo will lift at 09.00 CET/08.00 GMT on Monday, 16 November 2026.
Speakers:
- Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of the Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO
- Dr Silvia Bertagnolio, Unit Head, AMR Surveillance and Laboratory Strengthening, Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO
- Pravarsha Prakash, Technical Officer, AMR Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO
Join by Zoom:
- Link: https://who.zoom.us/j/97104415573
- Password: WHO&vpC13
Join by phone:
- International numbers available: https://who.zoom.us/u/abWP12Pr3o
- Webinar ID: 971 0441 5573
- Password: 246791864
Why: Drug-resistant bacterial infections are already linked to more than 4.7 million deaths a year, and could cause up to 39 million deaths by 2050 without urgent action. In 2023, one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide was resistant to antibiotics. Ahead of World AMR Awareness Week 2026 (18–24 November), WHO experts will set out where countries stand and what must happen next.
Key issues for coverage:
- Progress and remaining gaps in implementing national AMR action plans in the human health sector, based on the 2026 TrACSS findings;
- Why limited access to quality-assured diagnostics and laboratory capacity remains a critical weak point, particularly in low- and middle-income countries;
- How the new essential package of diagnostic tests and the laboratory toolkit can help countries plan investments and bring diagnostics closer to patients; and
- The approach behind this year's theme, "One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now," and the updated Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance 2026–2036.
Please enter your name and media outlet (use name/outlet) in your Zoom profile and ensure your microphone is connected and active on your computer. When you sign in, you will be automatically put in the meeting room. To ask a question, click the "raise hand" icon, which will enter you into the question queue.
Resources:
- AMR: health topic and the fact sheet
- Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025
- Blueprint for strengthening responses to fungal disease and antifungal resistance (2026)
- Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance 2026–2036
- World AMR Awareness Week 2026: One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now
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