WEC2008

The World Engineers' Convention was successfully held
on 3 - 5 December in Brasilia.

Speech President Lula

This third edition of the WEC, and the first to be held in the Americas, follows previous conventions in Shanghai in 2004, and Hanover in 2000 was attended by over 3000 engineers from 40 countries, including 1,300 young engineers. The main theme of WEC2008 was “Engineering: Innovation with Social Responsibility“, with s ub-themes relating to education, environment, development and the Millennium Development Goals. Parallel sessions included a “Women's Forum” and a “Student and Young Engineers Forum”, and there was ExpoWEC - promoting technology with the theme “Engineering for the Future” . WEC2008 was organized by two Brazilian engineering organisations (the Federal Council of Engineering of Architecture and Agronomy and Federation of Engineers' Associations), and sponsored by the World Federation of Engineering Organisations.

In his opening address, President Lula emphasised the role of engineers and scientists in addressing global challenges. He also indicated that a shortage of engineers in many countries is one of main challenges facing engineering and the world today. President Lula underlined the serious impact this will have on sustainable social and economic development, and the need to stimulate activity in the current economic crisis. In many developing countries this shortage is compounded by the brain drain of engineers from rural to urban areas, and from developing to developed countries. President Lula reported that the demand for engineers exceeds supply in Brazil, where there are presently sixteen thousand places in university engineering courses, with an estimated thirty-five thousand vacancies for engineers per year by 2012. President Lula stressed that a shortage of engineers would not only threaten industry and development, but also people's quality of life. President Lula observed that economists needed to be complemented by engineers at the policy-making and decision-taking levels of government, and that engineering plays a major role in development in Brazil - as illustrated by the Brazilian aircraft industry and space programme, the oil industry, particularly the innovation of advanced offshore drilling techniques, and Brazil's pioneering of bio fuels with sugarcane ethanol in the 1980s.

The closing ceremony included a presentation of the forthcoming WFEO events, particularly the next General Assembly to be held in Kuwait, the World Engineers Week that will be held in Buenos Aires and the WEC2011 that will be hosted by Geneva. A brief presentation on the UNESCO engineering Report “Engineering: Issues and Challenges for Development” - was also made. The Declaration of the Convention was also presented at the closing ceremony. The Declaration emphasised the important need for the development of national, regional and international engineering initiatives to address the issues and challenges facing engineering and the world, and included a call for UNESCO to develop a new international engineering programme to promote and develop engineering education, capacity building and applications for poverty eradication, sustainable human, social and economic development.

Several other meetings were held in conjunction with the WEC, including the WFEO Executive Council meeting, the General Assembly of UPADI, the women forum, a forum for young engineers. The International Advisory Council for the WEC 2011 also met in Brasilia.

WEC2008 Declaration

WEC 2000 - 2004 - 2008: a new relay baton for a new WFEO tradition

At the end of the Closing Ceremony for the World Engineers' Convention WEC 2008 in Brasilia a new WFEO symbol has been handed over: The World Engineers' Convention (WEC) relay baton, created by VDI, The Association of German Engineers (organizer of the first WEC 2000 in Hannover, Germany), passed from VDI via the representatives of the WEC 2004 in Shanghai and of the WEC 2008 in Brasilia and ended in the hands of their Swiss colleagues organizing the next WEC 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. In the run-up to the WEC2008 VDI had been asked by WFEO to sponsor and to provide this official WEC relay baton for the WEC events to come. The idea behind this request had been to strengthen the importance of the World Engineers' Convention as a proven and successful instrument in the worldwide co-operation of engineers; at the same time it should express the continuity of the WEC tradition and pay tribute to the first movers and their success as a commitment for the future. The WEC relay baton, on behalf of VDI designed by Hanna Kuepper, a well-known German artist, represents symbolically the engineers' connectivity with the modern world respectively the responsibility of engineers for the global challenges in the 21.Century.

UNESCO Speeches by WFEO President Barry J Grear AO during the WEC2008 in Brasilia

Download: WFEO Speeches by President during the WEC2008.doc

Women Forum & Closing Ceremony

Women Forum WEC2008 Brasilia

Closing Ceremony WEC2008 Brasilia

UNESCO Press Release

SHORTAGE OF ENGINEERS THREATENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Download: WEC2008_UNESCO Press ReleaseV3.doc

World Engineers'Convention 2011, Geneva

In 2011, Switzerland is organizing the next World Engineers’ Convention (WEC), which takes place every four years under the umbrella of the WFEO and cosponsored by UNESCO.
Swiss Engineering-SIA, the Swiss association of engineers and architects, SATW, the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the National Swiss Committee Switzerland of FEANI (European Federation of National Engineering Associations) are the organizers of the event.
The main theme proposed for WEC2011 in Geneva is “Engineers and the Energy Challenge”.
The vision of WEC2011 is to highlight concrete projects and technology innovation towards a more national use of energy with limited impact on environment and an increased development of renewable energies. It is intended to communicate a strong message tat all world regions can and must contribute to a sustainable conversion and use of energy. Also the young generation can and must commit to solving the energy and environment challenges with innovative solutions.

WFEO News

International Engineers' Organizations: New Presidents

• Irene Campos Gómez elected new President of UPADI, U nion Panamericana De Asociaciones de Ingenieros
• L. Bytoft, elected new President of FEANI, European Federation of National Engineering Associations
• Adel Al-Jarallah Al-Kharafi elected Chairman of FAE, Federation of Arab Engineers.

WFEO Medals of Excellence

The flyers concerning the 2009 WFEO Medal of Engineering Excellene and Medal of Excellence in Engineering Education are available to download:
• Medal of Engineering Excellence_2009.PDF
• Medal of Excellence in Engineering Education_2009.PDF

New Year

We wish you all the best in this holiday season and a Happy New Year

We will be very much pleased to work together with renewed efforts towards informing you on engineering news and disseminate your news and activities through our wide network. Our objective is to make your activities visible and the engineering community recognized by all.

WFEO Editorial Team
Tunis Office: wfeo@planet.tn
BP 88-1073 Monplaisir Tunis/Tunisia