Harare,
Zimbabwe –
In
a
critical
step
towards
safeguarding
public
health
and
food
safety,
in
Zimbabwe,
the
Food
and
Agriculture
Organization
of
the
United
Nations
(FAO)
convened
a
multisectoral
stakeholder
workshop
to
evaluate
the
country’s
antimicrobial
resistance
(AMR)
surveillance
system,
using
the FAO
Assessment
tool
for
laboratories
and
AMR
surveillance
systems
(ATLASS).
The
workshop
which
took
place
from
4
to
5
November
2024,
brought
together
representatives
from
various
sectors,
including
human,
plant
and
animal
health,
fisheries,
food
safety,
and
the
environment.
The
gathering
marked
an
essential
milestone
in
Zimbabwe’s
journey
to
build
a
robust,
integrated
AMR
surveillance
framework
under
the One
Health
approach.
“AMR
poses
a
severe
global
threat
that
endangers
both
human
and
animal
health,”
said
Tendai
Munyokoveri
the
interim
Assistant
FAO
Representative
(AFOR)
–
Programmes
in
her
opening
remarks.
“Surveillance
is
the
foundation
of
effective
AMR
control
as
it
enables
us
to
understand
the
extent
of
the
problem,
identify
trends,
and
support
evidence-based
policymaking
and
intervention
strategies,
”
Tendai
added.
Transitioning
from
capacity
building
to
data
generation
and
analysis
The
assessment
of
AMR
surveillance
systems
in
Zimbabwe
using
the FAO-ATLASS tool
builds
on
previous
evaluations
carried
out
in
2017,
and
2022,
with
support
from
the
United
Kingdom’s
(UK) Fleming
Fund.
“Since
our
initial
ATLASS
assessment
in
2017,
we
have
continued
strengthening
our
laboratory
capacity,”
said
the
Acting
Director
of
Veterinary
Technical
Services,
Dr
Chenai
Majuru.
“As
we
approach
phase
two
of
the Fleming
Fund
country
grant,
we
are
transitioning
from
foundational
capacity
building
to
data
generation
and
analysis.
This
data
will
underpin
evidence-based
strategies
to
combat
AMR
and
support
our
national
action
plan
implementation
to
produce
data
for
action,”
she
added.
As
part
of
the
assessment
process,
a
team
of
local
and
international
assessors
visited
eight
laboratories
in
the
agrifood
and
environmental
sectors
to
evaluate
the
laboratories’
AMR
surveillance
capabilities
and
provide
actionable
recommendations
to
improve
their
capacities
to
produce
quality
and
reliable
AMR
data.
Some
of
the
recommendations
were
short
term
in
nature
and
were
seen
as
low-hanging
fruits
that
required
little
or
no
additional
resources
to
address,
and
some
were
medium-
and
long-term
initiatives
which
requires
considerable
resources
and
government
commitment
to
implement,
and
“FAO
will
continue
to
advocate
for
strong
government
commitment
in
provision
of
resources
and
will
continue
to
support
various
resource
mobilization
initiatives
to
implement
those
recommendations”
said
Tendai
Munyokoveri.
“The
hope
is
that
the
data
collected
from
the
workshop
and
pre-workshop
activities
will
underpin
evidence-based
strategies
to
enhance
AMR
surveillance
and
support
prioritization
of
interventions
in
our
national
action
plan,”
said
the
Acting
Director
of
Veterinary
Technical
Services.
Contributing
valuable
insights
to
regional
and
global
efforts
The
two-day
workshop
saw
participants
engaging
in
rigorous
discussions
to
identify
current
capacities
and
critical
areas
for
improvement
in
Zimbabwe’s
AMR
surveillance
system
across
all
key
one
health
sectors.
“The
outcomes
of
this
assessment
will
not
only
support
the
country
in
setting
its
health
security
targets
but
will
also
contribute
valuable
insights
to
regional
and
global
efforts
against
the
growing
threat
of
antimicrobial
resistance,”
Tendai
said.
A
call
for
collaboration
The
workshop
concluded
with
a
call
for
continued
cooperation
and
knowledge-sharing
to
address
the
common
AMR
challenges
faced
in
Zimbabwe.
This
included
the
sharing
of
the
detailed
assessment
report
to
key
One
Health
ministries
to
guide
interventions
by
the
different
sectors.
Speakers
also
highlighted
the
importance
of
resource
mobilization
and
collaboration
to
build
stronger
AMR
surveillance
systems.
In
her
closing
remarks,
the
Director
of
Veterinary
Technical
Services,
pledged
to
address
gaps
identified
during
the
surveillance
and
to
lobby
for
further
resources
for
effective
AMR
surveillance,
while
the
AFAOR
–
Programmes
emphasized
the
need
to
strengthen
collaboration
between
all
partners.
“I
appreciate
the
commitment
of
the
Government
of
Zimbabwe,
civil
society
organisations,
the
private
sector
and
the
Quadripartite,
comprising
the
Food
and
Agriculture
Organization
of
the
United
Nations
(FAO),
the
United
Nations
Environment
Programme
(UNEP),
the
World
Health
Organization
(WHO)
and
the
World
Organisation
for
Animal
Health
(WOAH)
in
fighting
AMR.
Your
expertise,
collaboration,
and
commitment
are
vital
to
the
success
of
this
endeavor
and
ultimately
to
safeguarding
public
health
and
food
safety
not
only
in
Zimbabwe
but
beyond,”
the
Assistant
FAO
representative
–
programmes
said.
“Together,
we
can
build
a
safer,
more
sustainable
future.”