Opening Remarks
Yasuhisa Shiozaki
Side Event of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR“Global Action on AMR: Advancing Healthy Longevity and Sustainability
under UHC”
14:00-16:00, September 25, 2024, New York, USA

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
It is an honor to join you at this crucial and timely event on “Global Action onAMR: Advancing Healthy Longevity and Sustainability under Universal HealthCoverage.”

I extend my sincere thanks to the Health and Global Policy

Institute (HGPI) and the AMR Alliance Japan for hosting this important sideevent.
As a member of the Global Leaders Group on AMR, I am truly delighted to be
here, surrounded by such esteemed panelists and participants.

AMR is one of

the most urgent global health challenges, and today’s discussions are morecritical than ever.
In 2016, as Japan’s Minister of Health, I witnessed AMR being placed on theUN General Assembly agenda for the first time.
top priority for me.

Since then, AMR has been aStanding before you in 2024, now as a GLG member, I feel1

a renewed sense of purpose as we gather for the second High-Level Meetingon AMR in eight years—a testament to our collective efforts.
Tomorrow, we will adopt the political declaration on AMR. Though the journeyto this point has been challenging, I am confident that we have achieved abalanced resolution, combining ambition with feasibility.

I express my deepest

gratitude to all who contributed.
Yet, the real challenge begins now. As we move from the adoption of thepolitical declaration to its implementation, I would like to highlight a few criticalareas that require our unwavering attention.
First, establishing an independent scientific panel is essential, and I commend
Dame Sally Davies for her leadership. As with climate change, science must
guide our global action, and this panel will help accelerate evidence-based
efforts against AMR.
Second, access to antimicrobials is vital.

Proper use relies on proper access,and the political declaration’s emphasis on this will shape our future response.
Third, we must boost incentives for antimicrobial R&D, as current efforts areinsufficient. I urge the G7 and other platforms to advance pull incentives todrive innovation.

2Fourth, financing is critical.

While a dedicated AMR fund could be ideal, weshould optimize existing global health financing mechanisms—like the Global
Fund, Gavi, and the Pandemic Fund—to make them more AMR sensitive.
Finally, effective coordination is of utmost importance. AMR intersects withmany sectors—health, security, industry, trade, finance, and aging populations,to name just a few.

My years of experience have shown me how complex thischallenge is. Strengthening coordination among stakeholders is crucial, and weare considering formalizing the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat to support this.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is inspiring to see so many leaders from diverse sectors
gathered here today, united in our commitment to combat AMR. I look forward
to our discussions and to working together to advance healthy longevity andsustainability under Universal Health Coverage, in Japan and around the world.
Thank you.

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