The health threats posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) require constant vigilance from government ministries and other sectors involved in human, animal, and plant health. The Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services demonstrated this clearly when it conducted a One Health Coordination Committee workshop to map out ways on how to best protect the lives and livelihoods of Solomon Islanders from the dangers of AMR.
Dr Takeshi Nishijima, Technical Officer (AMR), WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, underscores the importance of taking the One Health approach. Photo: WHO/R. Serrano
The workshop aims to address the need for a strategic approach by the One Health Coordination Committee looking at health challenges in the country from the human, animal and environment perspectives, one of the overarching recommendations in the evaluation of related technical areas conducted last year.
What is AMR?
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
Dr Nemia Bainivalu from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Solomon Islands said AMR is a convincing example of why One Health matters, as the misuse of antimicrobials in one sector can affect us all. Photo: WHO/R. Serrano
AMR is predicted to reduce global gross domestic product by 3% by 2030, adding an extra US$ 700 billion to healthcare costs in 2030 and affecting low-income countries more profoundly. In the Western Pacific Region, where Solomon Islands is located, 5.2 million AMR-related deaths and an excess cost of US$ 148 billion are projected between 2020 and 2030. AMR also threatens to reverse hard-fought gains in fighting tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and many common infections.
The Solomon Islands Government, through the MHMS, addresses AMR as one of its priority agendas in the National Strategic Health Plan 2023 – 2026. The Government realizes that AMR is a growing and serious public health threat that can have a major impact on the gains achieved in medical sciences over the years, and adversely affect the attainment of its mandated targets under the SDGs.
One Health approach
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.
A discussion on the One Health landscape in Solomon Islands helped participants identify multisectoral coordination mechanisms, priority thematic areas, and gaps and challenges. Photo: WHO/R. Serrano
During the workshop, presentations on AMR, food safety, and zoonoticdiseases were made, identifying priority areas for improvement as well as recommendations. Rich discussions on timely issues such as food safety and zoonoses and AMR were also the highlights of the workshop, as it enabled participants to fully absorb the broader implications of AMR and the actions required to address it. A discussion on the One Health landscape in Solomon Islands helped participants identify multisectoral coordination mechanisms, priority thematic areas, and gaps and challenges.
The situation in Solomon Islands
A Joint External Evaluation (JEE) conducted by WHO in September 2024 noted limited cross-sectoral awareness, the need for coordination, legislation and policies for accessing and using quality antimicrobials and no action plan to drive implementation of emergency preparedness, prevention and response. It presented an overarching recommendation that coordination should be institutionalized through establishing a One Health Committee to drive the development of a One Health Joint Action Plan to address common priorities including AMR.
In addition, the multisectoral, One Health approach Risk Profiling exercise conducted in April 2025 indicated a high risk from exposure to AMR hazards that are likely to occur, resulting in severe impact for the population, which triggered a response at the national level.
Rich discussions on timely issues such as food safety and zoonoses and AMR were also the highlights of the workshop, as it enabled participants to fully absorb the broader implications of AMR and the actions required to address it. Photo: WHO/R. Serrano
The Government has requested support with the implementation of the Solomon Islands Multisectoral National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2023-2026, and follow-up on the JEE and risk profiling recommendations, which include: strengthening AMR surveillance and laboratory capacity; developing information sharing between stakeholders and a joint stakeholders training programme; establishing antimicrobial use surveillance and reporting to the Western Pacific Regional Antimicrobial Consumption Surveillance System; strengthening IPC, improving antimicrobial stewardship; and reviewing the national antibiotic guidelines and essential medicines list.
What else is being done?
In 2024, recognizing that AMR is one of the most urgent global health threats, world leaders signed a
political declaration of the high-level meeting on AMR. It reaffirms the importance of national ownership and the primary role and responsibility of governments at all levels to determine their own path towards achieving universal health coverage, including through addressing AMR, in accordance with national context, priorities and needs.
Meanwhile, the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly approved a decision to update the
Global action plan (GAP) on antimicrobial resistance, for discussion at next year’s World Health Assembly. The GAP update will offer a practical framework for the next 10 years to achieve the targets and commitments included in the political declaration of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024 – including a 10% reduction in global deaths associated with bacterial AMR by 2030.
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