π‘ On smart housing - A column by Jorge Abramian, WCCE President
Almost every day we hear striking news related to natural hazards and their disastrous consequences. Such news immediately calls public attention and breaks the news all over the world. Looking at the screen, we civil engineers can see how very often the forces of nature are many times amplified by circumstances that could have been conveniently addressed by humans. The question, then, is whether the general public and the policymakers are conscious that civil engineers can help to mitigate and even eliminate most of the consequences.
π 18th WCCE General Assembly
We are now in Summer and the time for WCCE's General Assembly comes nearer. This time WCCE is travelling to Africa as WCCE's 18th General Assembly will be hosted by Institution of Engineers Kenya jointly with the celebration of IEK's 30th Convention. The activities regarding 18th WCCE General Assembly will be held from 14th to 17th November 2023 in Mombasa, Kenya.
However, specifically, the General Assembly will be held on
November 16th, 2023
Further information will be delivered shortly on our website.
π‘ Safe, Sound and Sustainable Housing in Africa | Preliminary results
Since March, World Council of Civil Engineers | WCCE, the European Council of Civil Engineers | ECCE and the Federation of African Engineering Organizations | FAEO have been collecting information from African professionals in order to develop a global Strategy for Safe, Sound and Sustainable Housing around the world, which aims to raise awareness on the need for "Safe - Sound - Sustainable" (3S) buildings, which can be fulfilled by integrating a structural/seismic upgrade of the existing buildings together with energy efficiency improvements. Based on ECCE's original initiative from 2020, a joint ECCE β WCCE group reviewed and updated the 3S Approach Manifesto [EN|ES] for a global scope. Should you be interested in the survey's preliminary results, please Read more
π― On the need of "Safe - Sound - Sustainable" (3S) buildings
The World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development 2023 (WED2023) with its annual theme of βEngineering innovation for a more resilient worldβ was celebrated last Saturday 4th March 2023. The European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE) actively participated in the celebration of the WED2023, taking part in the International Conference Engineering the Cities of the Future that was held in Madrid, 2-3 March 2023 organized by the Institute of Engineering of Spain, WFEO and the MWCC with the sponsorship of UNESCO's Spanish National Committee.
World Council of Civil Engineers (WCCE) and the European Council of Civil Engineers presented their 3S Approach joint initiative [EN|ES] , which aims to raise awareness on the need for "Safe - Sound - Sustainable" (3S) buildings, which can be fulfilled by integrating a structural/seismic upgrade of the existing buildings together with energy efficiency improvements. Based on ECCE's original initiative from 2020, a joint ECCE β WCCE group reviewed and updated the 3S Approach Manifesto and Executive Summary.
π― WCCE President's take on our last General Assembly
The GA was a great success. Portuguese Ordem dos Engenheiros was able to organize the meetings very well and we were able to gather, in person, the Presidents of ASCE, ECCE, WCCE, WFEO, and, of course, their βbastonarioβ. Even the new FAEO president attended virtually to the GA. I would give top marks to this Assembly !!βNot only we had good discussions about our profession, but also we were able to set the basis for different inititatives, and some guidelines for the future. I hope you all will be able to see them through soon enough. I am very grateful to all who participated, especially to our magnificent hosts. Our next must be to focus on the work of our Standing Committees and Working Groups, finetune our bylaws, and proceed with some special projects for which I expect the contributions of all of you.
π° Statement by WFEO President, Prof. JosΓ© Vieira, following the earthquake in Syria and Turkiye
The World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) expresses its deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the deadly earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye. Our thoughts are with the thousands who lost their lives and loved ones.
The international community of engineers shall stand by the people whose cities, villages, roads, companies and public services have been devastated. This is still the time for the emergency response, and we share our gratitude with the rescue teams and all NGOs which are active in the field of humanitarian assistance.
In such a context, WFEO supports the call from the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner (UNHRHC) to lift the financial sanctions that prevent effective funding of emergency missions and NGOs interventions.
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