In an effort to give field programmes a first look at the changes taking place in IMSMA V4 the GICHD IMSMA team began a series of regional conferences in 2005. The most recent event in this series was held in Istanbul on January 25, 2006. A total of 15 participants from programmes in the European, Central Asian, Middle Eastern and North African IMSMA regions took part in the sessions. The participants included a diverse group of programme and operations mangers from 9 countries. The one day event included a demonstration of IMSMA V4, a short Information Management training session, a presentation outlining some of the steps necessary for a smooth transition to IMSMA V4, a demonstration and first look at V4 and an extended question and answer session designed to respond to questions from the field users.
A special surprise greeted the GICHD and the participants when Istanbul was turned into a marvellous white city with 30 cm of glittering snow, covering roofs, minarets and the squares normally populated with tourists in T-shirts !
Mr. Mohamed Ahmed, GICHD regional coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, opened the meeting and introduced its participants to the director of the GICHD, Ambassador Stefan Nellen.
In his opening remarks Ambassador Nellen emphasized the need for local programmes to be involved and committed to the new system in order for it to become a truely useful tool in the field. Mr. Alan Arnold, Ithe GICHD Information Management Systems Program Manager expanded on this message with a broader introduction to IMSMA V4. The morning programme concluded with a short introduction to Information Management provided by the IMSMA Training Manager, Mrs. Ananda Millard. This session included some practical exercises designed to provoke critical thinking and keep everyone involved.
The afternoon session included a presentation focused on making a smooth transtion to IMSMA V4, a demonstration of the system and time to answer questions from the participants. While the event helped the IMSMA team from Geneva to focus attention on IMSMA V4 the field programmes were also told not to expect changes in the short term. A final release of V4 is still many months in the future.
The event ended in the early evening with a series of very good questions from the audience and a sympathetic dinner at the Askoç hotel, where "Turkish Cuisine" and hospitality came together in harmony.
