Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - A European Programme for Action to tackle the critical shortage of health workers in developing countries (2007–2013)
Date: 2006-12-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, action programme, developing countries, health care profession, health policy, vocational training

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.12.2006 
COM(2006) 870 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

A European Programme for Action to tackle the critical shortage of health workers in 
developing countries (2007–2013) 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

A European Programme for Action to tackle the critical shortage of health workers in 
developing countries (2007–2013) 

1. 

THE POLICY CONTEXT AND SCOPE OF THE PROGRAMME FOR ACTION 

In December 2005, the European Commission (EC) adopted a Communication entitled ‘ EU 
Strategy for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries’ – 
COM  (2005)  642,  highlighting  the  scale  and  complexity  of  the  health  workforce  crisis  and 
arguing for a comprehensive and coherent EU response. 

At  its  meeting  on  10/11  April  2006,  the  General  Affairs  and  External  Relations  Council 
(GAERC), adopted conclusions on the EU Strategy for Action. Council called on the EC and 
the Member States to develop a coordinated EU response in support of country level efforts to 
address the human resources in health (HRH) crisis(1) (for all references see Annex 2). The 
Council  also  adopted  an  EU  Consensus  Statement  on  the  Crisis  in  Human  Resources  for 
Health, stating that:  

“Europe  is  committed  to  supporting  international  action  to  address  the  global  shortage  of 
health workers and the crisis in human resources for health in developing countries”. 

This Programme for Action (PfA) responds to the Council conclusions and is the product of 
consultation  with  EU  Member  States,  taking  account  of  the  global  analysis  set  out  in  the 
World Health Report 2006. The Human Resources Working Group, formed at the request of 
the Council to develop the PfA, has defined actions at country, regional and global levels, that 
will  be  taken  forward  by  the  EU  (the  EC  and  the  Member  States)  and  those  that  will  be 
supported directly by the EC. 

2. 

EU ACTIONS AT COUNTRY LEVEL 

The  EU  provides  support  to  strengthen  health  workforce  capacity  through  bilateral 
programmes in a number of countries. However, given the scale of the problem, the quantity 
and  quality  of  support  needs  to  increase  and  analysis  of  HRH  constraints  to  health  system 
development assessed more systematically. Whilst some HRH support is provided as part of 
sector programmes and aligned with national priorities, there remains a need for much greater 
coordination  and  for  more  effective  engagement  of  all  the  key  actors  at  the  country-level, 
including  the  private  sector  and  civil  society,  in  support  of  a  strengthened  country-level 
response.  The  EU,  working  with  other  funding  and  technical  agencies,  will  make  a 
concerted effort to align support at the country-level with nationally defined strategies 
and priorities, supporting the active engagement of all key stakeholders. 

Existing  programmes  of  support  are  financed  in  a  variety  of  ways,  ranging  from  general 
budget and sector budget support, pooled financing of Sector Wide Approaches and financing 
through multilateral agencies and through project funding mechanisms. The EU will support 
increased coordination between the EU and other donors in support of country-led planning 

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for  health.  EU  Member  States  and  the  EC  will  provide  increased  support  to  country-level 
efforts  to  strengthen  national  health  systems,  supporting  the  development  of  comprehensive 
and  inclusive  national  strategies  to  increase  the  capacity  and  performance  of  the  health 
workforce.  

Strengthened country capacity will be achieved through the following actions: 

2.1. 

Country level political and policy dialogue and planning 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The  EU  will  raise  the  issue  of  HRH  as  a  barrier  to  progress  towards 
MDGs 4, 5 and 6 in national policy dialogue on poverty reduction and in 
discussions on strengthening social governance. This policy dialogue will 
be strengthened by drawing on EC and Member State expertise and by 
working  jointly  with  the  appropriate  technical  agencies  and  experts,  to 
ensure  that  a  stronger  evidence-base  underpins  the  policy  dialogue. 
Strengthened  stewardship,  increased  government  accountability  for  MDG 
progress, increased transparency on service objectives and financing and the 
promotion  of  a  broad  inter-sector  policy  dialogue  by  relevant  ministries, 
linked to efforts to reform and strengthen public administration, are important 
pre-requisites for more equitable and responsive healthcare provision. Related 
issues  of  productive  employment,  gender  equity  in  recruitment,  more 
effective  deployment  and  service  delivery,  accreditation  and  recognition  of 
qualifications  in  the  medical  field,  promotion  of  decent  work  and  social 
protection,  economic  migration  and  development,  tradability  of  medical 
services  and  the  role  of  these  factors  in  human  resources  for  health 
development and poverty reduction will be addressed.  

The  EU  will  take  forward  work  initiated  on  developing  an  MDG 
contracting mechanism to link longer-term budget support more closely 
to MDG progress. Human resources represent a long-term recurrent cost and 
effective  planning  can  only  take  place  if  there  is  a  reasonable  guarantee  of 
long-term sustainable and predictable financing. The EU will support efforts 
to 
international 
the  volume,  duration  and  predictability  of 
development  assistance.  In  addition,  the  EU  will  conduct  dialogues  with 
governments  and  the  international  financing  institutions  on  possibilities 
for increasing fiscal space for social sector investment. 

increase 

The EU will support national efforts to evaluate, plan for and manage human 
resource capacity development and to effectively engage civil society and the 
private  sector  in  the  national  response.  Standardisation  of  measurement  and 
monitoring of HRH policy, using a set of indicators being developed by the 
Health  Metrics  Network,  and  evidence-based  frameworks  for  HRH  analysis 
and  response,  being  developed  by  WHO  and  the  Global  Health  Workforce 
Alliance  (GHWA), will be supported. Support will be provided for research 
to  identify  health  worker  retention  and  maintenance  issues  based  on 
workforce  motivation  studies.  Support  will  be  provided  to  strengthen  HR 
management and planning, based upon globally agreed best practice, drawing 
upon  private-sector  skills  and  expertise.  Dialogue  with  professional 
organisations,  with  medical  and  nursing  trade  unions,  with  research 
institutions  and  other  civil  society  representatives  will  be  critical  to  the 
success  of  this  process.  The  EU  will  support  consultation  and  consensus 

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building  in  order  to  ensure  civil  society  voice  informs  national  HRH 
planning. Within the EC and EU health programming, HRH will be treated as 
a cross cutting issue, to be considered fully in all EU supported health related 
interventions.  

2.2. 

Capacity building 

(1) 

(2) 

The EU will support research to identify effective and innovative ways of 
increasing  human  resource  capacity  for  health,  including  assessing  the 
appropriate  range,  cadres  and  gender  balance  needed  to  overcome 
critical  shortages.  Research  will  include  evaluations  of  current  workload, 
recognising  that  many  health  workers  already  perform  beyond  their  defined 
roles  and  responsibilities.  The  potential  roles  and  functions  of  middle-level 
technicians,  auxiliary  and  community  workforces  and  evaluation  of 
accelerated training to expand access to services rapidly will be assessed.  

The  EU  will  support  expansion  of  country-level  training  capacity, 
including  for  human  resource  management  training  capacity.  The  EU 
will also explore the potential of link relationships between institutions in 
order to strengthen capacity-building over the long term and to develop 
south-south and north-south learning communities. Capacity development 
needs to address individual training needs through the expansion of training 
facilities,  as  well  as  organisational  and  institutional  capacity  building  for 
planning, support and management of the health workforce. Research on the 
effectivenss  of  task-shifting  in  order  to  expand  capacity  by  extending  the 
roles  of  professional  and  auxillary  health  workers  will  also  be  explored. 
Elements that might be included in link programmes are work on training and 
accreditation  of  community  health  workers;  task-shifting,  delineation  of 
health  worker  competencies  and  skill  mix;  promoting  innovative  training 
approaches  such  as  shortening  training  time;  sharing  faculty  and  optimising 
use of infrastructure; and developing a framework for countries to assess and 
develop the training capacity of institutions. Developing life long learning, to 
complement  initial  training  and  formal  post-graduate  training  will  also  be 
essential. 

(3) 

Link  programmes  between  professional  bodies  and  regulatory  agencies 
will be supported in order to build their capacity and support a stronger role 
for  professional  associations  in  the  governance  and  stewardship  of  quality 
health services. 

2.3. 

Civil Service reform and enhancing terms and conditions of service 

The development of comprehensive incentive packages, including increased salaries and 
benefits  and  an  improved  working  environment,  linked  to  a  clear  and  measurable 
strategy  for  service  improvement  and  the  promotion  of  decent  work,  will  be  an 
important component of the HRH response in many countries. Incentives for working in 
under served areas in order to increase access to services for the poor and marginalised also 
need to be considered. The EU will support necessary analytical work to help address these 
issues  within  the  context  of  appropriate  national  HRH  responses.  Non-salary  incentives, 
including  improvements  in  the  working  environment  and  service  efficiency,  are 
considered important for health worker retention. Innovative packages of support which 

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include  access  to  cheap  loans,  educational  allowances  for  children  of  health  workers  and 
enhanced  professional  development  opportunities  will  be  supported.  Salary  and  other 
financial incentives need to be developed taking into account broader plans for civil service 
reform, but recognising the special needs of the health sector. The EU will support analysis 
or  study  of  the  labour  market,  including  assessment  of  public,  private  and  non-
government  sector  pay  scales  and  conditions  and  the  relationship  of  these  factors  with 
quality  of  healthcare,  in  order  to  establish  realistic  benchmarks  for  health  workforce 
salaries.  Increased  financing  for  health  workers  should  be  linked  to  clear  and  measurable 
targets for improved service performance (productivity), such as increased service utilisation, 
decreased staff absenteeism and increased client satisfaction.  

2.4. 

Addressing HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria 

The HIV/AIDS epidemic and the increasing burden of TB and malaria have exacerbated the 
health  workforce  crisis,  increasing  the  workload  on  a  system  already  under  strain.  The 
particular  challenge  for  health  workers  in  determining  their  own  HIV  status  and  accessing 
antiretroviral therapy, given the fear of stigma, are acknowledged. The EU will support the 
incorporation  of  the  WHO’s  Treat,  Train,  Retain  strategy  within  national  health  and 
national HIV/AIDS strategies. Policy dialogue will aim to ensure that the health workforce 
crisis is acknowledged in health sector planning. The EU will continue to support the Global 
Fund  to  Fight  AIDS,  TB  and  Malaria,  to  ensure  that  its  Country  Coordination  Mechanism 
links  the  national  response  to  HIV/AIDS,  TB  and  malaria  back  to  the  need  to  build  an 
effective health system that can respond to country defined health priorities. 

2.5. 

Promoting gender equity in health service provision 

The EU will support policies which recognise and address gender differences and gender 
inequalities in the development of human resource for health strategies. Mechanisms to 
support  the  role  of  women  in  the  health  workforce,  giving  particular  attention  to  gender 
equality issues  in  matters of education and training, recruitment, salary, career development 
and decision-making positions will be supported. 

2.6. 

Supporting and strengthening communities 

The EU will support policies which encourage both government and non-governmental 
services to reach out to support community based care and support, as part of national 
human resource strategies. The shortage of health workers has increased the burden of care 
being  placed  on  communities,  and  particularly  on  women,  both  in  terms  of  voluntary 
community work and in terms of informal care within families. 

2.7. 

European technical expertise 

The EU will increase coordination of its technical assistance (TA) in support of country 
programming,  identifying  expertise  for  HRH  planning.  The  EU  will  support  greater 
coordination of access to EU TA encouraging the development of recipient-managed TA 
pools to allow countries to draw on the most appropriate experience. Mechanisms such as 
shared programming, monitoring and reporting will be used to make optimum use of the EU 
'know-how' in support of country-level planning and programming.  

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2.8. 

Post-conflict or fragile States 

In countries in conflict or in fragile States, where a government's capacity to plan effectively 
for  national  human  resource  needs  is  limited,  the  EU  will  increasingly  work  through 
shadow  alignment  mechanisms  in  order  to  provide  more  predictable  longer-term 
coordinated support linked to MDG progress. The EC Humanitarian Office will, where 
appropriate,  help  to  support  coordination  efforts  by  active  consideration  of  the  health 
workforce situation in its humanitarian programming. When the country context permits, 
mechanisms for building national HR capacity, for example by contracting services through 
NGOs and building national capacity for contracting out services, as piloted in Afghanistan, 
will be further developed. Effective consideration of human resources issues in the transition 
from  humanitarian  support  to  longer  term  development  assistance  is  a  critical  part  of  the 
Linking Relief to Rehabilitation and Development process and will be prioritised for attention 
in transition countries.  

3. 

EU ACTIONS AT A REGIONAL LEVEL 

Efforts  to  define  priority  regional  actions  in  Africa,  Asia  and  Latin  America/Caribbean,  are 
currently underway. Although Africa will be prioritised in the EU response, HRH problems 
are significant in other regions and the EU response will take account of the need for global 
action tailored to meet differing regional needs. The EU will support the mapping, analysis 
and  the  technical  and  political  dialogue  on  human  resources  necessary  for  effective 
advocacy  and  action.  The  Oslo  meeting  on  human  resources(2)  proposed  that  global  and 
regional  action  should  be  coordinated  by  ‘Platforms  for  Action’,  bringing  together  key 
stakeholders  and  informed  by  Global,  and  Regional  Observatories.  A  Regional  Platform  on 
Human Resources for Health in Africa(3) has been established and an Asian Action Learning 
Network on Human Resources(4) initiated. The need for Regional Platforms in other regions 
will be explored.  

3.1. 

Political leadership in Africa. 

Given the disproportionate impact of the health worker crisis on Africa, the global response to 
the human resource crisis should be informed by Africa's needs. The EU will work with the 
AU/NEPAD, the Regional Economic Communities, UN agencies and with regional networks 
of  NGOs  and  civil  society  organisations  to  support  a  strong  African  voice  in  the  global 
response to the HRH crisis. EU support on human resources for health in Africa is set within 
the context of the overarching EU Strategy for Africa(5). As part of its strategic support to 
the AU, the EC will support strengthened AU/NEPAD leadership of regional action. The 
regional  response  will  draw  upon  technical  networks  developed  through  the  work  of 
WHO and the Global Health Workforce Alliance and will help build a regional platform 
for action.  

3.2. 

Support to African regions 

The EU will discuss with the African regions how to address the human resource crisis 
through measures linked to the process of regional economic integration and Economic 
Partnership  Agreements.  Related  issues  of  economic  migration  and  south-south  migration 
will  be  discussed.  The  aim  will  be  to  strengthen  and  manage  the  regional  market  in  human 
resources  to  mitigate  the  adverse  impact  of  brain  drain  -  turning  brain  drain  into  'brain 

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circulation  and  ‘brain  gain’ through  regional  agreements  on  skill  sharing  and  migration  and 
development. 

3.3. 

Support for Regional Observatories on Human Resources 

The EU will support the development of a Regional Observatory for Africa, which will 
be  a  repository  of  regional  best  practice  and  will  collect,  collate  and  analyse  data,  and 
disseminate information and advocate policy based on national HR information. Work should 
include  defining  benchmarks  for  human  resource  capacity  and  comparing  country 
performance. The capacity and mandate for this work rests with the WHO.  

3.4. 

(1) 

(2) 

Developing  Regional  Training  Resources,  expanding  Networks  of  Excellence 
and developing eHealth 

The  EU  will  support  a  mapping  of  regional  training  capacity  and  explore  options  to 
meet country needs by drawing on this regional capacity. The 7th Research Framework 
Programme  (2007-2013)  and  its  Specific  International  Cooperation  Actions  (SICA) 
will support actions to expand training capacity. The EU will support the development 
of learning networks within and between regions. North-south and south-south links to 
build 'Networks of Excellence' which support development of health skills, expertise 
and  research  capacity  will  be  explored.  The  EC  will  continue  to  support  regional 
meetings  to  define  areas  where  regional  working  can  add  value  and  will  build  links 
between  countries for lesson learning, for  example the  EC is planning  a network  for 
human  resource  information  exchange  between  Portuguese-speaking  countries  and 
other similar initiatives will be considered.  

The  potential  of  information  technology  to  improve  communication  between  service 
levels, to support medical training, distance working and learning and to improve the 
quality  and  efficiency  of  the  work  environment  will  be  explored.  The  Commission, 
working with  the European Space  Agency and  WHO,  has  established a  taskforce on 
improved 
taskforce  will  explore 
eHealth  for  Africa.  The 
telecommunications  to  bridge  the  distance  between  health  workers  in  rural  areas  to 
their peers and specialists elsewhere and to support teleconsultation as well as health 
sector  training  and  capacity  building  in  Africa.  The  Commission  has  provided 
financing  for  a  series  of  taskforce  meetings  that  will  culminate  in  an  African 
Stakeholder Conference. The output of the task force will inform the development of 
EU  support  for  greater  ‘interconnectivity’  in  Africa  -  a  key  component  of  the  EU 
Strategy for Africa. 

the  potential  of 

3.5. 

Strengthen regional research capacity 

Building research capacity is critically important for retraining academic and clinical research 
capacity  and  preventing  brain  drain.  The  EU  will  continue  to  support  research  capacity 
building, including  EC  support for clinical research capacity  development through the 
European  and  Developing  Countries  Clinical  Trials  Partnership  (EDCTP)  for  sub-
Saharan  Africa.  Engaging  local  communities  in  research  activities  and  strengthening  the 
synergy  between  research  and  health  care  activities  at  local  and  regional  levels  will  be 
encouraged. 

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4. 

EU ACTIONS AT A GLOBAL LEVEL  

With  the  EU  commitment  to  allocate  0.7%  of  EU  Gross  National  Income  as  development 
assistance by 2015, the EU will be providing over 60% of global development assistance by 
2010.  EU  coordination  will  help  maximise  the  benefit  of  this  increasing  volume  of  aid  and 
strengthen  international  efforts  to  increase  the  harmonisation  and  alignment  of  aid.  The  EU 
recognises the need for greater global coordination of the international response to the HRH 
crisis and is committed to promoting decent work for all, as set out in COM (2006) 249. 

4.1. 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

Internal  EU  action:  Strengthening  EU  health  workforce  planning  and 
promoting 'Brain Circulation' 

The  European  Union  will  face  increasing  internal  shortages  of  health  professionals 
over the coming years, as set out in the Commission Communication on the follow-up 
to the high level reflection process on patient mobility and healthcare developments in 
the European Union(6). While fully respecting the subsidiarity principle, a concerted 
European strategy covering issues such as monitoring, training, recruitment, and 
working  conditions  of  a  sufficient  number  of  health  professionals  will  be 
developed  to  help  ensure  that  the  Union  as  a  whole  will  be  able  to  meet  its 
objective of providing high quality health care, without exacerbating the human 
resource crisis in developing countries.  

The  Commission  convened  High  Level  Group  on  Health  Services  and  Medical  Care 
Working  Group  on  Health  Professionals  has  been  charged  to  consider  recruitment 
practice in the European Union. In this context, it will develop a set of principles to 
guide  recruitment  of  health  workers  within  the  Union  and  recruitment  from 
third  countries,  which  will  seek  to  minimise  any  negative  impact  on  health 
workforce  capacity  in  third  countries.  The  EU  will  support  the  World  Health 
Assembly resolution call for the development of a global code of conduct on ethical 
recruitment. 

The EC Communication on Migration and Development indicates that Member States 
will be invited to intensify their dialogue with diaspora organisations. The building of 
alliances  between  diaspora  organisations  and  with  their  home  countries  will  be 
supported.  The  EU  will  explore  ways  to  constructively  bring  together  multiple 
small-scale  diaspora  initiatives  into  more  strategic  and  coordinated  actions.  The 
possibility of seed financing for such collaboration, allocated on a competitive basis, 
will be explored.  

The EU will develop mechanisms and guidelines for supporting ‘circular migration’ of 
health  workers  and  will  explore  issues  such  as  transferability  of  pension  rights  and 
protecting  residence  rights  in  the  EU  of  diaspora  members  who  participate  in 
temporary return programmes. Issues of recognition of qualifications and tradability of 
services  in  health  will  also  be  explored.  The  EU  will  consider  support  to  volunteer 
schemes which are demand-driven, and focus on capacity-building and skills transfer.  

The  EU  will  explore  the  feasibility  of  supporting  partnerships  between  medical 
institutions  in  the  EU  and  in  the  developing  world,  whereby  capacity-building  could 
be provided and interested healthcare professionals could share their activity between 
the two partner institutions. 

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4.2.  Mobilising funding at the global level for HR capacity-building 

The  EU  will  promote  in  international  discussions  the  importance  of  long-term 
predictable  financing  to  address  the  health  workforce  crisis  as  part  of  international 
efforts to scale up financing for MDG progress. The EU will continue its dialogue with the 
IMF  and  World  Bank  to  identify  ways  of  overcoming  macro-economic  constraints  at  the 
country  level  which  can  limit  health  investment.  The  EC  and  EU  Member  States  will 
continue  to  be  active  on  the  boards  of  global  funding  instruments  working  to  ensure 
increasing  alignment  behind  country  priorities  to  expand  fiscal  space  for  necessary 
investment  in  capacity-building.  Funds  such  as  the  Global  Fund  to  Fight  AIDS,  TB  and 
Malaria and the Global Alliance for Vaccines Initiative are already committed to channelling 
funds  in  ways  which  help  build  general  system  capacity  at  the  same  time  as  accelerating 
action on priority diseases. 

5. 

NEXT STEPS 

5.1. 

Financing  

(1) 

(2) 

The World Health Report 2006 estimates that to meet the investment costs for training 
an  expanded  health  workforce  over  a  20-year  period,  the  average  resource-poor 
country  would  need  to  increase  its  overall  level  of  health  expenditure  per  capita  by 
about US$1.60 each year. By 2025, a minimum increase of US$8.30 per capita in the 
health  sector  budget  would  be  required  to  pay  the  salaries  of  the  expanded  health 
workforce. 

A key challenge in financing an adequate health workforce will be to create the fiscal 
space needed for long-term investment through the provision of an increased volume 
of long-term and predictable aid. Effective measures to accommodate this within the 
macro-economic constraints and by measures such as de-linking wage bill restrictions 
for  health  staff  from  those  of  other  civil  servants  will  be  needed.  There  is  a  need  to 
link  proposed  increases  in  investment  more  closely  to  performance,  in  terms  of 
improved access to and uptake of better quality services. The possible inclusion of a 
health  workforce  indicator  in  the  MDG  framework  will  be  addressed  to  the  Inter-
Agency  and  Expert  Group  on  MDG  Indicators,  responsible  for  preparation  of  data, 
analysis and the monitoring of progress towards the MDGs, enabling the link between 
financing,  HRH  investment  and  MDG  progress  to  be  better  monitored.  The 
Commission will  increase  the proportion of its financing provided as budget support 
and the EU will aim to provide longer-term more predictable financing linked to MDG 
progress,  through  the  development  of  an  MDG  contracting  mechanism.  In  order  to 
monitor  the  EU  commitment  to  increase  financial  support  for  improving  the  HRH 
situation,  the  Commission  will,  by  the  end  of  2007,  develop  a  framework  for 
capturing  and  regularly  updating  Member  State  and  EC  supported  actions  on 
HR,  funded  through  both  bilateral  and  multilateral  channels,  and  compare  EU 
funding  levels  with  those  of  other  donors  and  the  international  financial 
institutions. 

(3) 

In addition to efforts to mobilise resources at the country-level, the Commission will 
use up to [€40,3 million over the period 2007-2013, out of the €1.060 million] funding 
available for the entire Investing in People Thematic Programme of the Development 
Cooperation  Instrument,  to  support  catalytic  global  and  regional  actions  on  Human 

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Resources  for  Health.  Catalytic  actions  such  as  strengthening  the  leadership  of  the 
AU/NEPAD  in  developing  the  African  response;  supporting  the  development  of 
regional  platforms  for  action;  supporting  the  engagement  of  the  private  sector,  civil 
society and the diaspora in the development of national HRH strategies, through a call 
for proposal process; and supporting Global coordination of action, through the work 
of the Global Health Workforce Alliance, will all be considered for funding.  

5.2.  Monitoring and Evaluation 

The  EU  will  support  the  development  of  a  country  level  HRH  monitoring  and  evaluation 
framework, using indicators being developed by the Health Metrics Network and will monitor 
collective EU action on HRH progress under the planned reporting to Parliament and Council 
on  the  European  Programme  for  Action  to  Confront  HIV/AIDS,  Malaria  and  Tuberculosis 
through External Action. 

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ANNEX 1 

Abbreviations 

AU 

EC 

EU 

African Union 

European Commission 

European Union 

GHWA 

Global Health Workforce Alliance 

HR 

HRH 

Human Resources 

Human Resources for Health 

HIV/AIDS 

Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 

IMF 

MDGs 

International Monetary Fund 

Millennium Development Goals 

NEPAD 

New Partnership for African Development 

NGO 

Non-Governmental Organisation 

PfA 

TA 

TB 

UN 

Programme for Action 

Technical Assistance 

Tuberculosis 

United Nations  

WHO 

World Health Organisation 

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References 

ANNEX 2 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Council  of  the  European  Union:  General  Secretariat;  10  April  2006.  Document 
8359/06.  EU  Strategy  for  Action  on  the  Crisis  in  Human  Resources  for  Health  in 
Developing  Countries:  Conclusions  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  and  the 
Representatives  of  the  Governments  of  the  Member  States  meeting  within  the 
Council;  and  EU  Statement  of  Commitment  on  human  resources  for  health  in 
developing countries. 

Human Resources for Health: Overcoming the Crisis: Report from a consultation in 
Oslo: 24-25 February 2005. 

Regional  Consultative  Meeting  on  Taking  the  HRH  Agenda  Forward  at  Country 
Level: 18-20 July 2005, Brazzaville, Congo. Meeting Conclusions. 

Workshop on Asian Action Learning Network on Human Resources for Health; 3-5 
August, Bangkok, Thailand. 

COM (2005) 12 October 2005. EU Strategy for Africa: Towards a Euro-African pact 
to accelerate Africa’s development. 

COM (2004) 301, 20 April 2004. Follow-up to the high level reflection process on 
patient mobility and healthcare developments in the European Union. 

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