The Partnership
SAFE AMR
The use (and misuse) of antimicrobial drugs has increased for decades. This increase has fuelled growing levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), killing more people globally than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
AMR threatens human health, food security, the environment, and global development. It is truly a global, multi-sectoral challenge.
Now, a partnership of world-leading social science research centres, led by the Global Strategy Lab, has come together to develop sustainable, acceptable, fair, and effective strategies to mitigate AMR, bringing together experts in economics, ethics, evaluation, evidence synthesis, gender analysis, law, political science, and veterinary science.
Streams
Unifying Goals
Establish a political goal that the international community can use as a barometer for measuring progress in managing antimicrobial resistance.
1-10-100 Unifying Goals
To establish a political goal that the international community can use as a barometer for measuring progress in managing antimicrobial resistance.
Researchers
Mathieu Poirier, Kayla Strong, Isaac Weldon, Steven Hoffman, Gabriel Fezza
Institutions
York University
Outputs
Unifying goals on AMR: Saving lives and livelihoods
From April 8-12, 2024, the Bellagio Group for Accelerating Action on AMR, a group of global policy and AMR experts from across One Health sectors, met to develop a proposal for equitable unifying goals on antimicrobial resistance.
Transnational Regime and Actor Analysis
Identify key actors and necessary political conditions for global AMR goals to be considered acceptable by the countries that will be working toward them.
Researchers
Kelley Lee, Julianne Piper
Institutions
Simon Fraser University
National Policies
Critically evaluate national policy options that would best support the SAFE management of the global antimicrobial commons.
Living Systematic Reviews
Undertake living systematic reviews of AMR interventions addressing both human health and animal health.
Researchers
Daniela Corno, Fiona Emdin, Kayla Strong, Jeremy Grimshaw, Mathieu Poirier, Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, Sharlini Yogasingam, Clare McGall, Heather Kinsey, Arne Ruckert, Heather Ganshorn
Institutions
York University, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary
Equity and Ethics Analyses
Unpack existing inequalities related to AMR and the power dynamics that sustain them by evaluating the ethics and equity of different policy options.
Researchers
A. M. Viens, Clare Wenham
Institutions
York University, London School of Economics
Economic modelling studies
Predict the potential impact of various national policies when applied at the global level and consider what distribution of efforts and events would yield optimal outcomes.
Researchers
Kednapa Thavorn, Alyssa Grant
Institutions
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Global Strategies
To propose transformative global strategies for the SAFE management of AMR.
Comparing common-pool resources
Comparative analysis of regulatory approaches to managing common-pool resources.
Researchers
Timo Minssen, Isaac Weldon, Kathleen Liddell, Kevin Outterson, A. M. Viens, Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, Steven Hoffman
Institutions
York University, University of Copenhagen, Centre for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law (CeBIL), Boston University, University of Cambridge
Outputs
Analyzing Antimicrobial Resistance as a Series of Collective Action Issues
This article relies on the work of Elinor Ostrom to develop an analytical framework for collective action problems around public and common goods. When analyzed through this framework, the authors found that AMR poses at least nine distinct collective action problems.
Planetary Antimicrobial Resistance Regimes and Collective Action
This article considers how the enduring phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenges us to reconsider the way we ask questions about and govern global issues.
Policy Options for Antimicrobial Resistance: Exploring Lessons From Environmental Governance
This publication examines twelve major environmental treaties to see how different governance approaches tackle shared-resource challenges.
Analyses of Veterinary Policies
Identify transformative opportunities for more equitably intervening in the animal health sector.
Researchers
Muhammad Zaman, Veronika Wirtz, Carly Ching
Institutions
Boston University
Outputs
Evaluation of Surveillance Strategies of Antimicrobial Consumption in Animals
The aim of this paper is to explore and assess various strategies for monitoring antimicrobial consumption (AMC) in animals, within the context of the One Health approach.
Policy discourse on AMR in food-producing animals: examining framing and language for effective communication
This study examines how AMR in food-producing animals is communicated, and whether those messages resonate with farmers, policymakers, and the public.
AMR is a One Health problem, affecting humans, animals and the environment. Clear, targeted messaging is needed to drive action across all sectors.
Limited integration of one health and antimicrobial resistance within biodiversity strategies
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health policy issue, which connects humans, animals and the environment. Antibiotics and AMR impact ecosystems, yet microbes (which are also part of ecosystems) are often overlooked in biodiversity strategies. This perspective examines the limited integration of AMR-related topics in current biodiversity strategies and discusses barriers and recommendations for inclusion.
Feasibility of Meeting Global AMR Targets
Assess the political acceptability of different global strategies in a variety of contexts.
Researchers
Patrick Fafard, Mary Wiktorowicz, Tracey Wagner-Rizvi
Institutions
York University, University of Ottawa
New Conceptions of AMR
New perspectives drawing from the social sciences are beginning to address the limitations of the traditional biomedical approach, reframing AMR and generating new avenues for policy impact.
AMR as a Series of Collective Action Problems
AMR is a social challenge created by actors with competing interests and limited incentives to cooperate. A coordinated, systems-wide response is needed for collective benefits.
Researchers
Isaac Weldon, Timo Minssen, Kathleen Liddell, Daniel Carelli, Laura Valtere, Pedro Henrique D. Batista, Sonia Lewycka
Institutions
University of Copenhagen, Centre for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law (CeBIL), University of Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Chalmers University of Technology
Antimicrobials as Infrastructure
Antimicrobials serve as essential infrastructure that support modern food systems, land-use practices, and clinical medicine. We need to shift the focus to systems rather than non-compliant patients.
Researchers
Clare Chandler, Susan Nayiga, Maarten Van Der Heijden, Yen Hong Thi Nguyen
Institutions
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit
Socio-ecological Dynamics
Microbes are omnipresent, and resistance is biologically inevitable. Robust institutions are needed to manage the dynamic co-evolution of human societies and microbial ecologies.
Researchers
Isaac Weldon, Ilaria Natali, J. S. Thakur
Institutions
York University, Toulouse School of Economics, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
Listen to the Unpacking AMR Episode on Socio-ecological Dynamics:
Urban Political Ecology
AMR is influenced by the interconnectedness of urbanization, the environment, global health threats, and climate change. Recognizing the relationship between urbanization and AMR can aid us in tackling this issue.
Researchers
Raphael Aguiar, Mary Wiktorowicz, Roger Keil, Srinivasa Srigiri
Institutions
York University, German Institute of Development and Sustainability
Listen to the Unpacking AMR Episode on Urban Political Ecology:
New Conceptions of AMR Outputs
Unpacking AMR Podcast
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, and other microbes stop responding to antimicrobial medicines. Unpacking AMR delves into the challenges of drug-resistant infections. Join the conversation on creating sustainable, fair, and evidence-informed policies. Remember, AMR is more than drugs and bugs!
Project Coordination & Funding
This project is funded through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant and is coordinated by the Global Strategy Lab. This project offers a unique opportunity to better understand and address the root social processes, structures, and power dynamics that drive AMR, beyond what could be accomplished by any one country, centre, or discipline alone.
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