The Regional Meeting on the Role of Government Chief Nurses in the Countries of the Region of the Americas was held in Havana from 10 to 12 September 1996. The working group analyzed how the ministries of health in the Region would assume a leadership role in the development of nursing so as to ensure levels of nursing care based on the needs of the population. The list of participants and observers in the meeting appears in Annex 1. The function of the ministries of health, in general, and the divisions of nursing and/or chief nurses, in particular, are key to the implementation in the countries of Resolution WHA 49.1 and the recommendations of the panel of experts. These responsibilities are described in the document “The Government Chief Nurse —Rationale, Role, and Function.” (AU)