Brooke meets with United Nations to tackle antimicrobial resistance
A Brooke vet examines a horse at the Health Post Shelter in Ethiopia.
Brooke met with United Nations member states in New York this week, to help address the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to global health.
Brooke attended the UN’s High-Level Meeting on September 26, 2024, to promote an approach to reduce AMR spread using One Health, which encompasses humans, animals and the environment.
Government leaders and Brooke’s partner organisations, including the World Organisation for Animal Health, attended the meeting, which aims to secure political action across all sectors in combating AMR.
Commercial interests must not stand in the way of action to protect animal, human and environmental health.
Esme Wheeler, External Affairs Advisor at Brooke, said: “Antimicrobial medicines (commonly known as antibiotics) are the cornerstone of modern medicine and public health.
“Brooke has long advocated for strong action to tackle the use and misuse of these valuable medicines in animals.
“We commend the commitments to improve global access to veterinary care and essential veterinary medicines and invest in animal health systems.
“A crucial next step is now to move forward with swift and decisive action to set targets to reduce the use and misuse of antibiotics in the livestock sector."
Representatives from Brooke, Four Paws, World Federation for Animals and ReACT Africa, at the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR.
AMR, the spread of drug-resistant pathogens in people and animals, makes it harder to treat infections, causing disease spread, illness and death.
This can also limit access to quality medicines, disrupt soil and plant health, and leave people in low-resource environments extremely vulnerable.
Brooke is dedicated to improving the lives of working animals, including horses, donkeys and mules, who are the backbone of communities worldwide, with 600 million people relying on them to survive.
Often, vets have no choice but to use antimicrobials to give these animals pain relief so they can support owners in earning a living, limited by time and resources.
In March 2024, Brooke and the World Veterinary Assocation (WVA) launched the world’s first list of essential veterinary medicines for livestock and equids, to help reduce the threat of AMR.
Brooke is also training vets to use antimicrobials responsibly and improving access to medicines and vaccinations in developing countries.
It also leads the Action for Animal Health coalition, which is calling on governments to invest in animal health systems and prevent future pandemics.
This year marks the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, with the first High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2016.
Learn more about how Brooke is helping tackle AMR.