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Nigeria to host fifth global ministerial conference on antimicrobial resistance

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Nigeria has become the host of the Fifth High-Level Global Ministerial Conference on AMR in 2026, taking over from Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made at the 4th High-Level Global Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 15 to 16 November.

Confirming the development of his

Pate expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia's Minister of Health, Fahad Al-Jajel, and the Ministry of Health for their leadership in the fight against AMR.

Nigeria, the newest member of the Troika and host of the fifth biennial meeting in 2026. [PHOTO CREDIT: @FahadAlJalajel]

“We will learn and take advantage of its success for the fifth edition in 2026. Counting on the Troika process for a smooth transition and the quadripartite. Nigeria is open to welcoming all Member States in 2026,” Pate noted.

Approval of the Jeddah commitments

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the ministerial conference culminated in the adoption of the Jeddah Commitments, marking significant progress in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.

At the conference, which had the theme: “From declaration to implementation”, ministers, health experts and stakeholders from around the world addressed the urgent need for coordinated action to address antimicrobial resistance.

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The Jeddah Commitments are based on the Political Declaration on AMR adopted at the 79th High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on AMR in September.

The Jeddah Commitments include strengthened governance, improved surveillance and administration, capacity building, research and development, and raising public awareness through educational initiatives.

Speaking about the adoption of the Jeddah Commitments, the Saudi Minister of Health said he believes the commitments drive the global agenda on antimicrobial resistance with impactful actions. “It's time to act,” he said.

Al-Jajel also announced that Nigeria would host the Fifth High-Level Global Ministerial Conference on the issue.

“To maintain momentum, we propose a stronger mechanism, the troika system, to drive action and implementation through 2025 and 2026 until the Fifth Ministerial Meeting. “I look forward to working with Nigeria as the newest member of the troika,” he added.

antimicrobial resistance target

World leaders at the United Nations General Assembly79 committed to tackling antimicrobial resistance, setting a goal of reducing deaths by 10 percent by 2030.

193 member states signed a 15-page political declaration to step up action to address the imminent threat that antimicrobial resistance poses to global health, food security and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

In the political declaration, member states committed to strengthening governance mechanisms to respond to AMR using a One Health approach, which involves addressing AMR in human, animal and plant health.

About RAM

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to medications used to treat infections, rendering these medications ineffective.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), AMR is the third leading cause of mortality in the world, with more than one million deaths directly related to bacterial AMR and five million deaths indirectly.

The WHO projected that antimicrobial resistance will cause 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years, equivalent to more than three deaths every minute.

Recently, Pate said that AMR was linked to more than 64,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2019, noting that these deaths occurred at a time when only 42.7 percent of the entire population had access to healthcare.

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