Wilma Gormley, of USAID-funded CapacityPlus (led by IntraHealth International), assisted in designing and facilitating a workshop in Cairo, Egypt, held July 12–14, that launched a new initiative of the Global Health Workforce Alliance. The Country Coordination and Facilitation initiative will address human resources for health (HRH) challenges in 17 countries by helping national stakeholders to develop and implement HRH advocacy plans, develop and implement evidence-based and costed HRH strategic plans, and monitor implementation progress.

Participants emerged from the meeting with country action plans for forming stakeholder leadership groups and moving the initiative forward. They also received guidance in using tools developed by the Global Health Workforce Alliance, including the CapacityPlus-supported HRH Action Framework.

The 17 participating countries, all considered by the World Health Organization to be facing an HRH crisis, include Afghanistan, Cameroon, Comoros, El Salvador, Eritrea, Indonesia, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.