Just Transitions to mitigate antimicrobial resistance

 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the most significant global health concerns of our time. In 2019, 1.27 million deaths were attributed to resistant bacterial infections, and by 2050, it is predicted AMR will cost upwards of $100USD trillion, accounting for 10 million deaths worldwide.  Antimicrobial resistance transcends borders, affecting communities in every region of the world. Poor and marginalized populations are among the most impacted by AMR, yet global discourse on policies and solutions often overlooks the challenges faced in these settings. Containing the spread of AMR, and avoiding a future where antimicrobials no longer work and common infections become potentially lethal, will require urgent and system-wide change. 

Just Transitions for AMR brings together social science and humanities researchers from diverse backgrounds and differentially affected regions to discuss what a just and equitable transition will mean for containing and mitigating AMR. The Just Transitions for AMR programme will explore how it could be adapted and used in the context of AMR.  The Just Transitions framework represents a different way of approaching systemic change, placing importance on effective social dialogue as a way to minimize challenges and maximize social and economic opportunities .

The ‘Just Transitions for AMR’ project will reframe AMR in social terms, transforming how governments and societies collectively respond to this global problem. Alongside its core team of researchers, key stakeholders (policy makers, civil society groups, intergovernmental organizations, local community leaders, industry) will also be actively engaged and involved in the co-creation of knowledge, that will then be fed directly into global AMR policy discourse. Six global meetings will be convened at the British Academy over the three-year project period with regional dialogues in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The ‘Just Transitions for AMR’ project is supported by the British Academy and was one of three projects awarded £1.5 million under the new Global Convening programmes.