[Historical evolution of World Health Organization guidelines on antimicrobial resistanceEvolução histórica da Organização Mundial da Saúde e a resistência aos antimicrobianos].

Objective: Show the evolution of guidelines on public health policies focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) between 1948 and 2022. Other related government actions are also mentioned.

Methods: A detailed review was conducted of World Health Assembly and WHO Executive Board archives. A textual analysis was conducted of AMR-related resolutions that guide the design of government policies and actions for WHO Member States. A systematic search was carried out in SCOPUS, PubMed, and grey literature under the category of public health policies on AMR.

Results: AMR has become the greatest threat to public health, putting at risk the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. WHO resolutions are presented as evidence of guidelines to combat AMR. The One Health approach and related strategies, initiatives, plans, and programs are mentioned. A gap was identified in the research and development of new antimicrobials, requiring further analysis.

Conclusions: WHO has made efforts to combat AMR. This has generated comprehensive development of public health policies to be implemented by the governments of Member States as they see fit.