WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance

The Global Strategy Lab was designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre on Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance in 2019.

The WHOCC at GSL uses rigorous and innovative research to assess and address the growing global health and development threat of antimicrobial resistance. Recent projects and publications have focused on the global governance of antimicrobial resistance, and particularly on the development of a new global legal agreement to promote global cooperation. The Centre has identified three key areas for global action on antimicrobial resistance: 

1. access to antimicrobials for those who need them;  
2. conservation of antimicrobials to reduce overuse; and  
3. innovation to find new antimicrobials and alternative treatments and diagnostic tools. 

Working closely with institutional and academic partners around the world, the WHOCC has focussed on informing the development of an institutionalized “grand bargain” on AMR governance, improving global political mobilization and accountability towards the WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR and improving the scientific evidence base on national and global responses to AMR.  

During its mandate, the WHOCC will:  

1. Develop ideas for bolstering global political mobilization and accountability towards implementing commitments made at the World Health Assembly and other global governance fora, including WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.  
2. Provide technical guidance, policy analysis and international legal advice related to various proposed global governance frameworks, mechanisms and regulations that aim to address the global collective action problems posed by antimicrobial resistance and related health security challenges.  

This work includes: 

• Conducting comparative analyses of political mobilization and accountability mechanisms that could be helpful in promoting global collective action on AMR; 
• Providing advice on political mobilization and accountability mechanisms that WHO and its Member States can use to support global and country-level action on AMR;
• Analyzing the incentives needed to encourage countries to better steward antimicrobials, and the political economy problems underlying inaction on AMR and; 
• Providing ongoing advice on various proposed global governance frameworks, mechanisms, laws and regulations that aim to address antimicrobial resistance.