Denmark launches new National Action Plan on AMR and pledges USD 43 million in continued funding to ICARS

On 11 June 2025, the Danish government launched its new National Action Plan (NAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), reaffirming its long-standing commitment to addressing this urgent global health and development challenge. As part of the plan and Denmark’s international engagement, the government has pledged continued core funding to the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS), totalling USD 43 million (DKK 280 million) from 2027 through 2030 from Denmark’s Official Development Aid budget. This underscores Denmark’s significant support to the global AMR response.

Denmark took the initiative to establish ICARS in 2018 and has provided core funding since 2019. Continued support through 2027–2030 will enable ICARS to further advance its mission: co-developing and implementing context-specific, cost-effective AMR solutions in close partnership with low- and middle-income countries.

“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health threats of our time,” says Minister for the Interior and Health of Denmark Sophie Løhde. “This public health crisis needs coordinated, global action and long-term commitment. With our new National Action Plan, Denmark reaffirms its leadership and commitment to addressing this critical challenge nationally and internationally. I am proud that we have taken the initiative to establish ICARS. We continue to support the organisation’s work, where they partner with countries to develop impactful solutions based on their priorities in National Action Plans. ICARS has shown that true progress is possible when we work together globally across sectors and in different settings. We now invite more countries to join us in this important work by supporting ICARS.”

Over the past five years, ICARS has launched 55 projects across the One Health spectrum in 25 countries and territories spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Results from projects nearing completion highlight the effectiveness of locally tailored interventions in the reduction of antibiotic use in a sustainable manner. These projects are influencing policy and changing practice on the ground in various sectors.

Furthermore, ICARS’ work has garnered recognition in the 2024 G7 and G20 countries’ health declarations and contributed to multiple global dialogues. The most recent example being the co-hosting of a high-level roundtable earlier this month at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2025, leading to the Hamburg Joint Statement on AMR.

Henrik Wegener, Chair of ICARS’ Board of Directors, states: “I would like to express a deep gratitude to the Danish government for their unwavering support to ICARS. Denmark’s continued commitment is not only a recognition of the importance of addressing antimicrobial resistance globally, but also a crucial factor in the success of ICARS so far. Over the past five years, ICARS has made significant strides, but the work is far from done. Denmark’s continued partnership will empower ICARS to reach more countries and deliver lasting solutions and impact that can help safeguard antibiotics for future generations.”

The new Danish NAP on AMR takes a comprehensive approach, focusing on four pillars: Combating resistance, antibiotic supply security, infection prevention, and international engagement. As part of its international focus, Denmark will appoint a High-Level Representative for AMR to represent the country in international fora and promote Danish solutions across the One Health landscape. ICARS looks forward to a close collaboration with the new Representative towards efforts to keep AMR high on the global health and development agenda. Additionally, ICARS welcomes the upcoming Danish One Health strategy on AMR that will consider multisectoral aspects of resistance.

Building on the momentum of the 2024 UN Political Declaration on AMR and global commitments, ICARS welcomes the continued partnership with Denmark and stands ready to support countries affected by AMR through funding and technical expertise, ensuring that policy commitments are translated into concrete actions and sustained impact. ICARS is also looking forward to contributing to the revision of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Action Plan on AMR, a critical framework for the coming years.

In light of these global efforts, Sujith J Chandy, Executive Director of ICARS, says “on behalf of the ICARS team, our sincere appreciation to the government of Denmark for their continued strong support towards addressing AMR. Their commitment towards ICARS’ vision and mission has resulted in the organisation partnering with more than 150 partners, countries, international agencies, organisations, governments, and other stakeholders throughout the world. These partnerships and the projects implemented have helped to understand the challenges on the ground in mitigating AMR. Building such interventional models through implementation research has helped build sustainable solutions that we believe will stand the test of time. Our joint efforts come at an increasingly vulnerable but critical time, with multiple challenges and competing priorities faced by countries. Nevertheless, we at ICARS are confident that together with our partners, we will be able to strive towards our goals, listen to the voices that are not heard, navigate the strong waves and turbulent waters, and ensure that our efforts contribute significantly to the global AMR response in calming the rising tide of AMR.”

Read the press release from the Ministry of the Interior and Health of Denmark and the new Danish National Action Plan for AMR (in Danish).

AMR in a global context

AMR is a critical global health and development threat with the highest burden seen in low- and middle-income countries. Without urgent action, it is estimated that AMR will cause 39.1 million deaths over the next 25 years, with an additional 169 million people dying from illness associated with AMR. Furthermore, AMR is projected to cause economic losses of up to 3.8% of global GDP. AMR poses a global health and security threat by undermining the effectiveness of essential medicines, leading to untreatable infections, increased mortality, and overwhelmed health systems. It can exacerbate the impact of pandemics, conflict, and displacement by limiting the ability to control infections, particularly in development settings.

Adopting a One Health approach to addressing AMR provides significant synergies with broader development goals, including climate action, health system strengthening, achieving universal health coverage, and food security.