Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 2025

Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia May 2025 Mobilizing the financial resources required to reduce deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) around the world could save more than 100 million lives by 2050. In an era of remarkable medical advancement, a silent threat is lurking in our hospitals, homes and communities, turning once-treatable infections into potentially fatal conditions. “Superbugs” – the ominous result of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – are rapidly evolving to outsmart our most potent antimicrobials. Imagine a world where a simple cut could lead to a life-threatening infection, or where routine surgeries become high-risk gambles with mortality. This is a looming reality that threatens to unravel decades of progress in modern medicine. As these microscopic adversaries continue to adapt and spread, they do not discriminate between victims; however, those in lower-income countries are most at risk. The stark truth is that by 2050, superbugs could claim more lives annually than cancer, with an estimated 10 million deaths per year.1 Equally alarming is the estimated timeline of 10-15 years needed to develop enough new antimicrobial drugs to protect us. The time to act is now, before we find ourselves in a post-antibiotic era where even the most “simple” infections could once again become lethal. This mounting threat carries a significant economic cost that could run into the trillions of dollars. The World Bank warns that unmitigated AMR could wipe out between 1.1% and 3.8% of annual global GDP by 2050.2 In Asia, where climate change worsens the spread of diseases and increases antibiotic misuse, especially by farmers, tackling AMR is essential for health security, sustainable development and economic stability. In a bid to start tackling this critical issue, global leaders at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly High Level Meeting on AMR in September 2024 committed to targets that include reducing deaths from bacterial AMR by 10% per year by 2030, boosted by $100 million of catalytic finance to ensure a majority of countries have funded national action plans on AMR by the end of this decade.3 Following the UN declaration, the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance launched the Davos Compact on AMR at the Forum’s Annual Meeting in January 2025. The Davos Compact highlights how the private sector can best participate in a collaborative response to the challenge of AMR, in particular by unlocking significant and sustainable financial resources to develop innovative solutions to drug- resistant infections. This report is the result of a partnership between the Forum’s Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) initiative, the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP) and the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA). The partnership aims to identify areas at the intersection of climate and health where funders across the spectrum of capital can make meaningful contributions. Through this report, we hope to inform and encourage private funders, impact investors and philanthropists to support the fight against the deadly threat of AMR. This report offers a focused perspective on the challenges and opportunities in addressing AMR in Asia. It is intended to highlight the severity of this global threat and encourage greater engagement from investors and funders. We hope that the report can serve as a foundation and catalyst for further research and dialogue. The authors welcome additional studies and insights that can enhance collective understanding and strengthen global efforts to combat AMR.Foreword Dawn Chan Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Impact Investing and Practices Gim Huay Neo Managing Director, World Economic Forum Shaun Seow Chief Executive Officer, Philanthropy Asia Alliance Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 3