The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness Authority (HERA) have signed a new agreement under the EU4Health programme worth €3.5 million, renewing and expanding their partnership to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide.
The renewed collaboration will scale up efforts in research and development of new antibacterial and antifungal drugs, as well as non-traditional therapies such as bacteriophages. It will also accelerate work under the joint initiative SECURE initiative — co-led by WHO and the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) — to improve equitable access to existing and new antimicrobials globally.
As part of the strengthened collaboration, WHO has updated its Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) and, for the first time, advanced its Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL), based on global expert consultations and regional workshops. These lists will guide research, development, diagnostics and public-health priorities against the most threatening bacterial and fungal pathogens.
In addition to drug development and pathogen prioritization, WHO’s expanded mandate under the agreement includes strengthening diagnostics — especially for bacterial and fungal pathogens — optimizing antibiotics for paediatric use, and developing country-level operational guidance and policy frameworks to manage antibiotic shortages.
By combining funding, scientific coordination and regulatory support, the WHO–European Commission partnership aims to strengthen global preparedness against drug-resistant infections, ensure equitable access to life-saving antimicrobials and diagnostics, and steer global health policy and research priorities toward combating AMR at scale.
