News

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health challenge, affecting human and animal health, plantsand the environment. It has significant impacts on population health, food security and economies ofall countries. AMR is a complex problem that requires broad One Health stewardship from local toglobal levels, encompassing infection prevention together with stewardship across the six stages ofthe antimicrobial lifecycle, i.e., research and development, production, registration evaluationand market authorization, selection, procurement and supply, appropriate and prudent use and disposal, as outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). This requires thestewardship of innovation, access, use and disposal. Such end-to-end stewardship will individuallyand collectively help to maintain the efficacy of existing and new antimicrobials for the optimalmanagement and prevention of infections in humans, animals, and plants while protecting theenvironment. This Perspective proposes a comprehensive One Health stewardship framework thatspans the entire antimicrobial lifecycle—from innovation to disposal—across humans, animals,plants, and the environment as One Health sectors. By embedding stewardship principles at all levels,the framework aims to preserve antimicrobial efficacy, mitigate resistance, and safeguard globalhealth, animal health food security, and ecosystems.