This conference on Human Resources for Health (HRH), which was organized by the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) and supported by the French cooperation system (French Agency for Development, AFD, and the French Foreign Ministry MAE), brought together representatives of 18 French- and Spanish-speaking African countries, five of whose health ministers were present throughout the conference. It led to the adoption of the Douala Plan of Action which listed 12 priority measures for which it assigned responsibility at the national, regional and international levels for achieving results measurable on a calendar. This plan of action was the fruit of stimulating exchanges among the participants in presentations and workshops, which also constituted a forum for addressing the state of progress in international and African thinking in, and the role and contribution of regional and non-governmental organizations. The present report is not a simple chronological transcript of the proceedings of the Douala meeting. It is set out around themes emanating from the objectives of the meeting. It only evokes the key elements of the presentations by countries and support partners, whereas the proceedings of the discussions and the views expressed in them are lessons in themselves. (AU)