The Global Approach: Aquaculture and National Action Plans for Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract

National Action Plans (NAPs) for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) underpin the coordinated international response to the global problem of AMR, which includes bacterial antibiotic resistance. Nations prepare their NAPs often under the guidance of the Quadripartite, comprised of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). NAPs are drafted following the guiding principles of the Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR that was developed and proposed by the WHO, FAO and WOAH in 2015. Each NAP is prepared to account for the individual needs of the nation, including the scale of the problem, the resources available, cultural considerations and logistical concerns, and they aim to reflect the state of each country’s experience with and progress against AMR. NAPs should take a One Health approach to the AMR issue, which is in recognition of the impact of AMR on humans, animals and the environment; aquaculture often finds itself at the nexus of these One Health compartments. This chapter describes what NAPs are and how they help to mitigate AMR and seeks to raise awareness around how they pertain to the aquaculture sector.