WCCE - World Council of Civil Engineers

Tribute to Jose Medem, Founding President

On the day of its 8th General Assembly, its member organizations have unanimously agreed to appoint Professor JOSÉ MEDEM SANJUAN as FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CIVIL ENGINEERS for its continuing commitment in the creation of a world organization to represent civil engineering professionals on an equal basis and promote technology transfer contributing to the welfare of humankind.

Such tribute was held during the 8th General Assembly Gala Dinner on October 13th at the Tropicana Santiago de Cuba.

TrainRebuild Final Report Reveals that the Key Driver for Demand of Energy Efficiency in Buildings is Closely Linked to Improved Property Value.

The Final Report of the project TrainRebuild will be an invaluable instrument to communicate the retrofit value and return of investment to property owners, thus creating a scale effect of energy efficient renovations in Europe.

"The TrainRebuild project did not only propose an integrated approach to training and communication, but also an instrument to change public and private property owners' mindset", explained Günther H. Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy in his foreword' to the TrainRebuild Final Report.

The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2 calls for more information and training to assist property owners and their advisors. Currently, there is a lack of independent, authoritative and understandable information on what measures property owners should take to retrofit their buildings and how these solutions can be procured. The complexity of the renovation work and the insufficient knowledge on the best available cost-effective technologies, funding schemes and how to access these are main barriers to the energy efficiency improvement of buildings.

Rio+20 concludes with big package of commitments for action and agreement by world leaders on path for a sustainable future

World leaders finalized an agreement at Rio+20 today that will advance action on sustainable development, as businesses, governments, civil society and multilateral development banks announced hundreds of voluntary commitments to shape a more sustainable future for the benefit of the planet and its people. The full package of agreements, actions, commitments, challenges, initiatives and announcements made at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, addresses a range of global issues that includes access to clean energy, food security, water and sustainable transportation.

"Rio+20 has given us a solid platform to build on," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "Rio+20 has affirmed fundamental principles -- renewed essential commitments-and given us new direction."

Proposed goals and targets on Sustainable Development for the Post2015 agenda now available

In preparation for the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) informal consultations 9 to 11 June 2014, an initial zero draft of the proposed goals and targets has been made available.

The priority target has been suggested as the eradication of poverty, the biggest global challenge facing the world today. The draft contains 17 proposed goals to be attained by 2030, including secure water and sanitation for all for a sustainable world.