AAAH Background

In 2005, the Asia-Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health (AAAH), a regional partnership mechanism, was launched by 10 founding member countries in response to international recognition of the need for global and regional action to strengthen country capacity for HRH planning and management. The AAAH is part of a larger movement to enhance HRH development as articulated in Kampala Declaration and the Agenda for Global Action.

The AAAH membership has gradually expanded. Currently, AAAH is composed of 22 countries, consisting of 10 countries from WHO SEAR (South-East Asia Region), 9 countries from WHO WPR (Western Pacific Region) and 3 countries from WHO EMR (Eastern Mediterranean Region).

AAAH coordinates with partners to strengthen joint effort in advocating HRH, provides technical support and facilitates country-level HRH development through regional collaboration. It aims to ensure sustained commitment addressing HRH needs through research, and contribution to policy development. The AAAH conference is the main platform organized by AAAH for learning and sharing knowledge related to HRH and strengthening HRH capacities among the member countries, HRH experts, and international agencies.
Responding to Current Needs
The COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of a robust health workforce, underscored the challenges faced by health systems globally. AAAH aligns itself with the “Working for Health Action Plan” to support investments in health worker education and training, strengthening future HRH strategies for our member countries.
Looking Ahead: Common Priorities for 2030
AAAH members have identified common priorities for HRH to be achieved by 2030 which include a) ensuring equality of access to health workers, b) reducing dependency on foreign-trained health workforce and c) improving the completion rate of health professional graduates.

By focusing on capacity building, knowledge sharing, and policy advocacy, AAAH aims to strengthen health systems in the Asia-Pacific region and contribute to a future with a robust and well-equipped health workforce.