Dr. Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, Adjunct Professor at York University and Managing Director of the AMR Policy Accelerator at the Global Strategy Lab, was invited to join the delegation from York University attending the UN Water Conference in New York City from March 22-24.
The UN Water conference provided a chance to meet with global experts and policy makers on issues related to clean water and sanitation. Dr. Rogers Van Katwyk provided an important perspective on the interconnectivity between SDGs on water and health. For instance, how progress on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) benefits SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) as access to clean water and improved sanitation prevents the spread of infection and can significantly decrease antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Commenting further on the importance of exploring interconnectivity for effective policy research, Dr. Rogers Van Katwyk added, “At the AMR Policy Accelerator, we strive to find synergies and break down silos between health topics. One of the discussions at the UN Water Conference that I found promising was regarding the adoption of wastewater testing, which was popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic, to better understand AMR prevalence, particularly in hard-to-reach populations. I am excited to see how these innovations can support better AMR surveillance around the world.
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