March 2006 – IMARK launches new e-learning module to help managers in international development address the challenges of the new information environment.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is pleased to announce on behalf of the Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) Steering Group, the release of the English version of the latest IMARK e-learning module "Investing in Information for Development". The module addresses the needs of managers and decision-makers for new awareness and skills related to development and implementation of strategies, policies, structures, and procedures for effective management of information. “Information management has evolved rapidly in recent years, in relation to the powerful but complex digital technologies that are now available. This latest module considers the impact of technology on the information environment, and on the decisions that managers in development organizations have to take”, explains Anton Mangstl, Director of FAO's Library and Documentation Systems Division. The module was developed by FAO, with support from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). A series of lessons and resources is provided to assist managers in developing an information strategy, and in implementing new structures and procedures for effective information management and exchange. The module includes a series of lesson plans, learner notes and presentations which can be adapted by trainers developing their own curricula for face-to-face seminars and courses. This, and all IMARK modules, are available at no-cost either through the IMARK website www.imarkgroup.org or on CD-ROM upon request. Learners are encouraged to register and select a course.IMARK now has over 30 partners and collaborating institutions since its inception in 2001, and its activities are coordinated through a Steering Group whose members are: the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), FAO, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (Cirad), the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).