World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. WAAW is observed annually from 18 to 24 November.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines intended to kill them. As drug resistance increases, antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasitics, become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
The theme for WAAW 2026 is: “One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now”
Our world is more connected than ever. The medicines that save lives, the food we produce, the economies we depend on, and the health of our environment are all connected. When drug-resistant pathogens emerge and spread, they impact our health, animal health, food security, economies and sustainable development. Their emergence and spread are also influenced by the health of our environment.
AMR is no longer a future challenge; it is a global threat.
Bacterial AMR is already associated with more than 4.7 million deaths annually. Without urgent action, AMR could cause up to 39 million deaths by 2050, and cost the global economy more than US$3.4 trillion annually, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.
Around the world, governments, health professionals, veterinarians, environmental experts, farmers, researchers and communities are already taking action to prevent AMR. They are improving the access, responsible use and safe disposal of antimicrobials, strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene, promoting sustainable food systems, diagnostics and vaccines, reducing pollution and protecting the environment. Every action matters.
World AMR Awareness Week 2026 shines a spotlight on this shared responsibility. Under the theme “One Health, one action: Prevent AMR now”, the campaign calls on everyone to do their part, recognizing that the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment is closely connected, and that actions in one sector can affect them all.
Global Action Plan on AMR 2026–2036
The updated Global Action Plan on AMR 2026 – 2036 reinforces this vision. It calls on all countries and sectors to work together under a One Health approach to prevent and tackle AMR. The Plan sets global targets including reducing bacterial AMR-associated human deaths, and global antimicrobial use, particularly in agrifood systems, and minimizing environmental pollution from AMR microbes and antimicrobial residues. Its goal is simple but vital: to keep life-saving medicines effective, prevent infections, and protect the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment.
Take one action
This World AMR Awareness Week 2026 everyone has a role to play. Whether you are a policymaker, health worker, veterinarian, farmer, environmental practitioner, or community member, your actions matter. Together, through One Health and one action at a time, we can prevent and contain the spread of AMR, protect the health of people, animals, plants and the environment, strengthen food systems and support resilient economies, for a more sustainable future for generations to come.
WAAW 2026 theme in six languages
صحة واحدة، خطوة واحدة: لنوقف مقاومة مضادات الميكروبات الآن! Arabic
Chinese: 同一健康，同一行动：立即预防抗微生物药物耐药性
French: Une seule santé, une seule action : Agir maintenant pour prévenir la RAM
Spanish: Una sola salud, una sola acción: prevenir la RAM ya
Russian: Единое здоровье, единое действие: Предотвратим УПП сейчас