The Wellcome Trust today releases a report to inform the United Nations General Assembly's High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance later this month (see www.wellcome.ac.uk/drugresistantinfections). The report distils the findings of an international summit of researchers, policymakers and multilateral institutions that met in London in April 2016.

It identifies three areas for immediate action to alleviate the current and future impact of drug-resistant infections on the number of deaths and on national economies. The summit and report build on the independent review on antimicrobial resistance led by economist Jim O'Neill and commissioned by the UK government, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, which was published in May 2016 (see go.nature.com/2bsxoyi). Together, these reports should help to focus attention and galvanize support from national governments, the G7 and G20 countries, international agencies and non-governmental organizations.

The UN resolution on antimicrobial resistance should commit governments and international organizations to concerted and verifiable action, adapted locally as necessary. Continued support for scientific research and innovation is essential to shape future responses, but the need for further research must not be an excuse for delaying urgent interventions.