Gender and Equity within Antimicrobial Resistance

Introduction

Gender and Equity within Antimicrobial Resistance (GEAR UP) is a Fleming Fund Regional Grant consortium led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The GEAR UP initiative seeks to catalyze action on gender and equity within AMR by supporting Fleming Fund country grantees to mainstream gender and equity within routine AMR systems and structures. We aim to increase awareness, and contribute to the knowledge, on structural inequities driving and shaping the AMR response.

AMR does not impact all populations equally—it intersects with gender, geography, and socioeconomic factors, often exacerbating health disparities among vulnerable and marginalized groups. GEAR UP aims to address these inequities by promoting inclusive, evidence-informed policies and practices in AMR responses across participating countries.

Objectives

The partners that make up the GEAR UP regional grant consortium work to:

• Promote the integration of gender and equity considerations into existing AMR surveillance structures.
• Advocate for national AMR action plans that are inclusive, gender-responsive, and equity-focused.
• Generate and contribute to context-specific research evidence on gender and AMR.
• Support mutual learning and collaboration with country grantees on best practices for gender and equity integration in AMR strategies.

Approach

HERD International brings its extensive experience in health systems research, gender analysis, andcommunity engagement to GEAR UP. As part of the consortium, HERD International collaborates closely with Fleming Fund country grantees in Nepal and Indonesia to enhance national efforts through:

• Strategic technical input into AMR surveillance related protocols, tools, guidelines and other relevant documents from gender and equity dimensions.
• Operational research to explore gendered dimensions of AMR.
• Capacity strengthening and cross-country learning exchange with implementing partners.
• Contribution to the global knowledge base and communities of practice focused on equity and AMR.

Partners

The GEAR UP consortium is coordinated by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK) and includes the following partners:

• HERD International (Nepal)
• BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University (Bangladesh)
• LVCT Health (Kenya)
• Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research – CeSHHAR (Zimbabwe)
• University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana)

Together, the consortium aims to make AMR responses more equitable, inclusive, and grounded in real-world evidence.