Canada has an opportunity to demonstrate its leadership and reaffirm its commitments to health equity at the UN HLM on AMR. Addressing the AMR agenda with a gender sensitive, human rights-based approach would exemplify Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. Civil society organizations, affected communities, and global partners are calling on Canada to make meaningful progress towards global health commitments. Specific asks are listed below.

1. Announce new funding to address AMR, including specific funding for DR-TB: The UN HLM on AMR is a key opportunity for Canada to match its promises with action by announcing new funding to address AMR, including the rising threat of DR-TB.

We urge the government of Canada to announce new funding to support research and development (R&D) for AMR, including DR-TB. In 2018, Canada committed to allocating Its fair share to TB R&D yet has fallen short of this target every year since. Increased investments in R&D are essential to combating TB and mitigating the risks of drug-resistance.

2. Influence the Political Declaration on AMR: Canada has the power to influence the recommendations that will be included in the Political Declaration that will be endorsed by all UN member states. We call on Canada to ensure that the political declaration includes:

• Political Commitment

  Commit to include TB as a trace indicator in global and national AMR strategies, since progress on TB and TB R&D is a critical indicator of progress on AMR and efforts against the development of drug-resistant strains.

• Financing

  Commit to reach $22 billion in annual funding for the global TB response by 2027, including DR-TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, and real-time surveillance, as well as sustainable financing mechanisms and innovative funding approaches, as agreed in the 2023 UN HLM on TB Political Declaration.

  Commit to shorter, safer and more effective treatment regimens, especially for DR-TB, and the development and roll-out of safe, effective, accessible and affordable TB vaccines for people of all ages.

• Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

  Commit to providing treatment for up to 45 million people with TB between 2023 and 2027, including up to 4.5 million children and up to 1.5 million people with drug-resistant tuberculosis, as agreed in the 2023 UN HLM on TB Political Declaration.

  Commit to prioritize country-level stewardship in providing access to new innovations.

  Advocate for promoting antimicrobial stewardship and uninterrupted, high-quality, and affordable TB medicines, to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant TB strains. 

  Establish comprehensive infection prevention and control measures in all healthcare settings.

• Community, rights and gender

  Advocate and commit resources for an AMR response that is human rights-based, gender transformative, stigma-free, and people-centered to ensure communities, affected people, and key and vulnerable populations are at the center of the AMR response, and ensure resources are allocated to support their engagement in AMR programmes as well as for community-led monitoring activities.

• Research and development

  Recognize vaccine development as a critical strategy in addressing AMR.

  Ensure that the regulatory framework provides guidelines and supports to streamline development and authorization of drugs and vaccines against AMR.

  Commit to supporting R&D on human immunology and newer, AI-driven strategies for tracking AMR and identifying viable vaccine targets for AMR.

• Health systems and accountability

  Recognize the importance of a one health approach in responding to drug resistant TB, zoonotic TB, AMR and climate and the importance of emphasizing TB as part of the one health response.

  Advance AMR accountability, including establishing an Independent Panel on Evidence for Action Against AMR, an annual report by the UN Secretary-General, and ensuring TB is included in these initiatives.

3. Support the involvement of affected communities: The involvement of individuals who have been personally affected by AMR is critical to ensuring that the outcomes of the UN HLM on AMR directly reflect the needs of the affected community.

We urge the government of Canada to ensure that individuals based in Canada with lived experience of DR-TB are able to meaningfully engage throughout the UN HLM on AMR process by involving them in consultations and supporting their participation as part of Canada’s official delegation. Results Canada and Stop TB Canada would gladly assist in identifying potential individuals to join the delegation.