Having been involved, as the Chair person, in the production of the WPA educational programme on the recognition and treatment of depressive disorders, Professor Sartorius was invited to co-chair the development of an updated version of the program, this time coordinated by AIMHP. The updated version of this major educational programme printed in 4 major volumes was to serve as a source for the organization of training courses for general practitioners, medical students and other groups that are likely to be involved in the care for people with depression. The updated version of the programme was translated in Chinese and Russian and widely distributed in Russia and China. The materials can be freely downloaded from WPA.org. The Russian translation from http://www.psychiatr.ru/lib/depressive_disorders/ A set of slides to accompany the volume is available from allan.tasman@louisville.edu and can be downloaded from the WPA website.