The Global Health Workforce Network (GHWN) of WHO organized its inaugural event through a satellite session at the 4th Health System Research Symposium in Vancouver, Canada, on 14 November 2016. Chaired by the GHWN Chair, David Weakliam (Ireland), and drawing over 100 participants from Government, academia, civil society, development partners and other stakeholders, this session provided an opportunity to share state-of-the-art evidence from the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health and the UN High Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, and to engage participants in a consultation on the programmatic priorities of GHWN.
The Global Health Workforce Network, one of the thematic partnerships facilitated by WHO in support of universal health coverage, aims to facilitate evidence generation and exchange, promote the alignment of global health initiatives, and foster policy dialogue, coordination and accountability. Building on and learning from the legacy of GHWA, the objectives of the Global Health Workforce Network include:
- To inform high-level political engagement and intersectoral and multilateral policy dialogue, including providing a forum for multi-sector and multi stakeholder agenda setting, sharing of best practices, and harmonization and alignment of international support to HRH.
- To foster global monitoring and mutual accountability on international HRH goals, targets and commitments, effectively linked with United Nations system processes and mechanisms for monitoring of UHC and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The WHO Secretariat will coordinate the work of thematic hubs tasked with conceptualizing, delivering and promoting evidence and knowledge products in support of these objectives.
The session included group work to discuss modalities of support to and engagement in priority activities of the agreed work streams of GHWN, and identify the need for additional ones to be considered in future. The session participants provided recommendations for consideration by the WHO Secretariat and the GHWN Strategic Advisory Committee related to the following thematic areas:
- Competency and performance standards for technical and vocation education and training (TVET).
- Competency and performance standards for community-based health workers.
- Harmonization and alignment of domestic and international investments in health labour markets.
- Governance and HRH leadership development.
- Health workforce information and evidence, monitoring and accountability.
- Other work streams for possible consideration, including labour mobility, gender and HRH, conflict and HRH .