For HRH plans to be evidence-based and addressing key bottlenecks, a functioning information system on service
delivery is crucial. This needs to be complemented with research. Equally, HRH plans need to be informed by global evidence on what works under which circumstances. The limitations of current information systems for HRH
have been highlighted [2] and were also a recurrent concern at the KIT HRH conference in 2010 and the Global
HRH forum in Bangkok in 2011. The article of Nigenda et al. addresses information systems and indicators from a
regional perspective [6]. The challenge is the selection of key indicators that provide management and policy
makers with useful information for decision-making and for which regular data collection is feasible with the
resources available. The article explains how nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean developed
together common metrics for HRH. Taking a regional level perspective facilitates comparisons and benchmarking,
and capacity development. The starting point was an inventory of published HRH metrics, which showed that
most information systems or studies only cover a part of the HRH area. Most systems focus on the labour market,
followed by monitoring of working conditions and of training. The article of Nigenda et al. reiterates again the
gap in knowledge on the HRH situation in various countries, and the importance of formulating a range of key
indicators and a metrics for planning.