USAID's Bureau for Global Health (GH) and ANE are proud to introduce the 2008 ANE Health Managers' SOTA Meeting, focusing on Technical Excellence in a Time of Change.

The Asia and Near East (ANE) Region of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) periodically sponsors a State of the Art (SOTA) Meeting for staff in the field. The ANE SOTA Meeting will provide field personnel with several forums for sharing lessons learned and discussions of cutting-edge issues with key experts in child health, reproductive health, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS, as well as cross-cutting areas in behavior change communications and health systems. The meeting will enable staff to keep abreast of the various technical challenges in the region and exchange ideas on how to address them. The meeting is also a forum in which to update field staff on policy developments and Agency initiatives.

As a result of attending the SOTA Meeting, participants will:

• Increase their applicable knowledge on critical scientific programmatic developments in population and health and capture new state of the art practices in the ANE region.
• Exchange ideas and information about program experiences between Missions using participatory learning platforms and forge relationships between Missions for ongoing dialogue.
• Discuss and share reactions to shifting priorities in Agency policies, strategies and programs relevant to USAID PHN offices in the ANE region.
• Convey priority issues of concern and needs of support to USAID/Washington and other field Missions.

We will be in contact with many of you about the specifics of the meeting including participation, presentations, panels, and discussion groups. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need assistance.

Visit the USAID Global Health Intranet * for specific details on the meeting, agenda, dates/schedule, hotel accommodations, and check-in. We encourage you to register now for the 2008 ANE Health Managers’ SOTA Meeting!

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the meeting.

Sincerely,
ANE and GH Planning Team

* If you are outside the USAID network and unable to access the Agency's Intranet, please register by e-mailing this form [Excel, 20KB] to Winifred Kpabar at wkpabar@usaid.gov or call 202-712-1249. The information must be received by February 8, 2008.