[A summarized unofficial version of the press release]

KDCA Commissioner Attends International Conference on AMR(Antimicrobial Resistance) and Discusses Collaboration with UK Health Security Agency

- KDCA Commissioner Youngmee Jee attended the International Conference - The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency- in the United Kingdom and discussed effective strategies for controlling AMR with global leaders ahead of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR this September

- During the visit to the UKHSA Colindale office, Korea’s COVID-19 Response and its National Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan were presented and further bilateral collaborative work was discussed.

Osong, 31st May 2024 ━ Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that on May 16-17, Commissioner Jee traveled to London, United Kingdom, to attend the International Conference -The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency- and visit the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to discuss collaborative work.

This is the first official visit of the KDCA Commissioner to the United Kingdom since the KDCA’s inception in September 2020. The purpose of the visit is to discuss control measures for curbing AMR with global health leaders at this international conference in the run up to the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in September. It is also to discuss follow-up collaboration on AMR and emerging infectious diseases following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the KDCA and the UKHSA in May 2022 and UKHSA Chief Executive Jenny Harries' visit to the KDCA in March 2024.

[The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency Conference]

The event -The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency- held in London on Thursday, May 16, was co-organized by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Royal Society. The event aims to raise awareness of AMR and discuss strategies to reduce AMR with various stakeholders in the build-up to the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR in September.

The conference was attended by not only global health sector leaders from more than 20 countries, including the UK, France, Japan, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, but also a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, patients, pharmaceutical companies, journalists and media and healthcare providers. The event featured speeches, lectures, role-plays and performances on AMR.

[A visit to the UKHSA Colindale office]

On May 17^th, a visit was made to the UKHSA Colindale office to introduce Korea’s Lessons from the COVID-19 Response and Nation Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan and to discuss cooperative measures in data surveillance systems, disease modeling, and other areas.

The recent visit to the UKHSA was a follow-up meeting to the MoU signed between the two agencies in May 2022, as well as the high-level policy dialogue during the visit of the UKHSA Chief Executive to Korea in March 2024. It served as an opportunity to further explore specific cooperative measures between the two countries in key areas of international health, such as infectious diseases and AMR.

KDCA Commissioner Jee mentioned, “The management of AMR and emerging infectious diseases requires the highest level of international coordination and cooperation,” She further stated, “We hope to share best practices for effectively responding to these health threats and to continue our bilateral cooperation to safeguard global health security.”

* For detailed information, please refer to the press release written in the Korean language in the file attached below.