On 20 November 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) advised that they would hold the 12th Trilateral Cooperation Technical Symposium on Antimicrobial Resistance: Addressing the Innovation Gap, Access Inequities, and Supply Challenges on 11 December 2025.
Objectives
By leveraging the complementary expertise of the three organisations, the symposium aims to advance practical solutions that can help preserve antimicrobial effectiveness for future generations.
To do so, it will:
1. Examine the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) landscape, its health and socioeconomic implications, and opportunities for coordinated action at global, regional and national levels.
2. Improve the understanding of challenges and opportunities in addressing the antimicrobial innovation and access gaps.
3. Assess how legal and policy tools, including IP and other incentive mechanisms, can support innovation, technology transfer, as well as timely and global, equitable access.
4. Discuss the role of trade rules and market dynamics and share insights in addressing shortages, strengthening manufacturing and supply chains, and facilitating equitable distribution.
The WHO, WIPO, and WTO Directors-General will provide opening remarks, and a professor from the University of Washington and the One Health Trust will deliver the keynote address. The symposium will have three technical sessions highlighting public health, IP and trade aspects in a complementary manner.
Background information and rationale
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat that could undermine decades of medical progress. AMR happens when microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) no longer respond to antimicrobial treatments, such as antibiotics. In 2021, bacterial AMR alone caused an estimated 1.14 million deaths worldwide. The latest WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) Report, based on data from over 100 countries, shows that resistance is both widespread and increasing, particularly in lower-income countries with limited capacity to prevent, diagnose or treat infections. The economic impact is also significant, with potential reductions in global gross domestic product (GDP) of up to 3.8% by 2050.
Addressing AMR requires a coherent, multidisciplinary approach that promotes innovation supported by a balanced intellectual property (IP) system, facilitates timely, equitable global access to health technologies, fosters open trade while addressing national health security concerns, and supports sustainable supply chains.
Date, venue and registration
The symposium will take place on 11 December 2025 from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm (CET) in a hybrid format hosted by WIPO at the Centre de Conférence de Varembé (CCV), room Genève, located at Rue de Varembé 9, 1202, Geneva. The event is open to the public and will be conducted in English. A detailed programme will be available soon. Registrations need to be submitted online by 09 December 2025.