GENEVA, Switzerland – ‘We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak. [Today], I am allocating up to $60 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region. The humanitarian community is fully mobilised. As in previous outbreaks, Dr Tedros and his colleagues at the World Health Organization are leading, with courage and expertise. The epidemiological context is challenging: there are not yet licensed vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.’
“These are some of the most difficult operating environments in the world for our lifesaving work. We face conflict and high population movement. We are working to secure safe and sustained access for frontline responders, including to areas controlled by armed groups. It is essential that there is no obstruction of our response. We must have access to all routes – air, land and water – across the affected areas.
“We are applying lessons from previous outbreaks. Containment depends on fast, coordinated action at the community level. We need strong communication with governments, and effective early warning and detection systems across affected counties. Community trust is essential: we will continue delivering wider humanitarian support to people affected, engage closely with them to understand their needs, preposition supplies where possible, and avoid militarised delivery of support. I am grateful to the United States for their swift financial contribution to support the response. I am in close contact with our Humanitarian Coordinators and the teams in DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. More staff from key UN agencies and partners are deploying this weekend to reinforce the effort. I pay tribute to the communities and humanitarians working to contain this outbreak, UN chief said.
Meanwhile WHO member sStates agree on updated action plan to reduce deaths from antimicrobial resistance. Countries approved the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR) for 2026–2036, renewing commitments to strengthen the global response to AMR.
WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) indicates that one in six common bacterial infections in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatment. Studies estimate that 4.71 million deaths were associated with bacterial AMR in 2021. Without urgent action, AMR could cause up to 39 million deaths by 2050, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.
The GAP-AMR 2026-2036 aims to preserve the ability to treat human, animal and plant infections by expanding equitable access to and appropriate use of effective antimicrobials, reducing infections through a One Health approach. By 2030, the plan aims to enable the attainment of the 2024 UN General Assembly target of 10 percent reduction in bacterial AMR-associated deaths in humans, while also reducing antimicrobial use in agrifood systems, and minimising environmental pollution from resistant microbes and antimicrobial residues.
Global momentum to tackle AMR has accelerated since the launch of the first GAP-AMR in 2015. More than 170 countries have developed multisectoral national action plans on AMR and 104 countries reported AMR data to the WHO surveillance system in 2025. For sustainable action, the updated plan emphasises the need for strengthened governance, sustainable financing, and accountability on AMR, including mainstreaming AMR interventions into health system strengthening efforts.
WHO and its Quadripartite partners – FAO, UNEP and WOAH – will enhance technical support and coordination. The plan provides adaptive guidance enabling countries to accelerate action through a One Health approach tailored to national priorities and contexts. It will be complemented by a separate operational and monitoring framework.
