The purpose of the October 5–7 & 8*, 2009, workshop was to enable select Mission management and technical health staff to learn and share best practices and approaches to assist them in effectively addressing major management and administrative challenges in the region.

*Participants from the MCH priority countries in the region were asked to stay through October 8, 2009, to participate in a one-day MCH Initiative Priority Country Update.

Workshop objectives included:

1. To bring together the health sector managers to share knowledge and lead field-directed discussions of common management and administrative challenges and opportunities.
   
2. To update managers on current Agency policies, trends, strategies, and processes relevant to health, as well as the priorities of the new Administration.
   
3. To analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges faced by staff in the field around the selected critical issues, i.e., maintaining USAID’s health sector leadership in region, effectively managing staff resources with focus on FSNs and DLIs, improving collaboration among key actors and stakeholders within and outside the Agency, and improving integration of programming among the elements of the Agency’s health sector.
   
4. To identify and prioritize critical constraints and needs facing field operating units, with the intent of exploring options and action plans to address them.
   
5. To strengthen working relationships among operating units in the region and facilitate ongoing communications between Missions and Washington.
   
6. To provide opportunities to build skills in management and professional development topics, i.e., conflict management; change management; AWP/IDP development; supervising and leading others; influencing, negotiating, and identifying ways to apply and impart those skills at Missions.

Participants received important updates on current and emerging Agency policies, procedures, and processes. The workshop provided opportunities to build skills as well as opportunities for sharing lessons learned and developing plans for applying lessons back at the Missions. Topics were selected based on a survey of staff in the field, with input from staff in Washington.