About World Engineering Day
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development
The World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development was proclaimed by UNESCO at its 40th General Conference in 2019. It is celebrated worldwide on March 4 each year since 2020 as a UNESCO International Day of celebration of engineers and engineering.
The day offers an opportunity to highlight engineers and engineering’s achievements and improve public understanding of how engineering and technology are central to modern life and for sustainable development.
Introduction
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development has been celebrated annually from 2020 onwards. Organizations and offices of the United Nations system, and most importantly, governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, schools, universities, and more generally, citizens, are expected to make the international day a springboard for actions that raise awareness about the importance of engineering.
The celebration of World Engineering Day is an opportunity to promote engineering as a career and highlight how engineering can change the world for the better. It is an opportunity to engage with government and industry to address the need for engineering capacity and the quality of engineers around the world and develop strategic frameworks and best practices for the implementation of engineering solutions for sustainable development.
There is more to be done to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries to ensure that everyone has access to clean water, sanitation, reliable energy, and other basic human needs. In all countries, there is also more work needed to deal with the impacts of climate change, environmental issues, our growing cities and the challenges of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
About WED
March 4 is the founding day of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), a federation consisting of more than a hundred national members and international members, representing the engineering society of the world. As a non-governmental organization with UNESCO associate status, WFEO initiated the concept of an International Day celebrating engineering and, since 2020, co-organizes the annual celebration in official partnership with UNESCO.
“Engineers aren’t very good at articulating the value of engineering and the impact that engineers and engineering have on society. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about these aspects and engage the community in the work of engineers,” said Dr. Marlene Kanga, the President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (2017–19), who led the proposal for WED.
WFEO received some 80 letters of support from international and national institutions, academies and national commissions to UNESCO, representing 30 million engineers around the world.
Member states of UNESCO backed this resolution with support from more than 40 nations including:
Namibia, China, Tanzania, Mozambique, Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Uruguay, Senegal, Liberia, Nigeria, Turkey, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mali, Iraq, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Poland, Kenya, Iran, Nicaragua, Oman, Bangladesh, France, Comoros Islands, Liberia, Jordan, Philippines, and UK.
The impetus for the proposal
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its Resolution 70/1 announcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which take an integrated approach to future development, combining progress in economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
Engineers and engineering are critical for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Engineers and engineering projects are essential for a peaceful world as it is engineers who will develop and implement technologies and systems that will progress the UN Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to water, energy, environment, sustainable cities, natural disaster resilience, and other important areas. This is essential for inclusion and to address unequal access to these technologies, which leads to income inequalities.
- Engineers are essential for resilience to climate change and to design and develop resilient infrastructure that will withstand the increasing weather-related events such as floods, cyclones, and bush fires, especially in developing countries that are most exposed to these risks.
- Engineers are essential for sustainable economic development as they are needed to support the growth and development of essential infrastructures such as roads, railways bridges, dams, waste management, water supply and sanitation, energy and digital networks in both developed and developing countries.
- Engineers are needed to develop inclusive technologies and innovations that will benefit people and the planet for greater prosperity and better quality of life and leave no one behind, especially to ensure equal access to technology for women and in rural areas.
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development is an opportunity to discuss these issues and engage the wider community in the contributions of engineers and engineering and the work that needs to be done to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda so that no one is left behind.
World Engineering Day Logo
- The 17 colours of the UN Sustainable Development Goals are included in the logo and represent the commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda. The colours at the centre of the image are for the Sustainable Development Goals for Water, Energy, Sustainable Infrastructure and Innovation. These are the main areas where engineers are needed most. The goal for Engineering Education is also central as the world needs more engineers with the right engineering skills for sustainable development.
- The image of the world is incorporated in the logo to show that this is a global day for everyone.
- The gears of the logo show that engineers are driving the world forward and that engineering is essential for sustainable development.