World Engineering Day 2026 itinerary
This year’s official launch event in Jakarta, Indonesia plays host to keynote addresses, high-level dialogues, technical sessions, and a host of the world’s leading engineers
The official launch of World Engineering Day 2026 takes place from March 3–5 at the Balai Kartini Convention and Exhibition Center in Jakarta, hosted by the Institution of Engineers Indonesia (PII). Held under the theme “Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future Through Innovation and Digitalization”, the global programme underscores a decisive shift from dialogue to delivery.
As the world confronts complex challenges – from climate change to energy security – the Jakarta event will spotlight engineering leadership, digital innovation, and cross-sector collaboration as essential drivers of scalable, real-world solutions for sustainable development.
(All times +7 GMT)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
WFEO governance meetings and participant arrivals
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
WFEO governance meetings and participant arrivals
08:00 – 09:00
Registration and welcome coffee
09:00 – 10:00
WFEO Finance Committee Meeting
10:00 – 10:15
Coffee break
10:15 – 12:15
WFEO Executive Board Meeting
12:15 – 14:00
Lunch break / bilateral meetings
14:00 – 15:30
WFEO Executive Council Meeting (part 1)
15:30 – 16:00
Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30
WFEO Executive Council Meeting (part 2)
18:00 – 20:00
Welcome reception and networking (aligned with Iftar time – hosted by Governor of Jakarta in Jakarta City Hall).
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
High-level segment, strategic and visionary focus
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
High-level segment, strategic and visionary focus
08:00 – 09:00
Registration
09:00 – 10:30
Opening ceremony:
• Welcome remarks – President, Institution of Engineers Indonesia (PII)
• UNESCO’s message delivered by Ms Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director of UNESCO Office in Jakarta
• Opening address – Er Dr Seng Chuan Tan, WFEO President
• Conferment of AFEO Honorary Patron
• Keynote address – President of the Republic of Indonesia
• Opening WED
• MoU signing ceremony
• Photo session
Masters of Ceremony:
• Eng. Santhi H Serad MSc, PII Executive Director
• Eng. Firas Bou Diab, WFEO Executive Vice-President
• Welcome remarks – President, Institution of Engineers Indonesia (PII)
• UNESCO’s message delivered by Ms Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director of UNESCO Office in Jakarta
• Opening address – Er Dr Seng Chuan Tan, WFEO President
• Conferment of AFEO Honorary Patron
• Keynote address – President of the Republic of Indonesia
• Opening WED
• MoU signing ceremony
• Photo session
Masters of Ceremony:
• Eng. Santhi H Serad MSc, PII Executive Director
• Eng. Firas Bou Diab, WFEO Executive Vice-President
10:30 – 11:00
Coffee break and networking
11:00 – 12:30
High-level Panel 1: “From Innovation to Large-Scale Implementation: Engineers Delivering Real-World Impact”
Keynote presentation: Prof. Geoffrey Hinton (University of Toronto), 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks”, known as the “Godfather of AI”.
Video message by Dr Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of UNU
High-level and Ministerial Roundtable moderated by: Heru Dewanto, PII past President
• Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
• Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Industry
• Rosan Roeslani, Minister of Investment and Downstreaming and CEO of Danantara
• Dody Hanggodo, Minister for Public Works
Keynote presentation: Prof. Geoffrey Hinton (University of Toronto), 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks”, known as the “Godfather of AI”.
Video message by Dr Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of UNU
High-level and Ministerial Roundtable moderated by: Heru Dewanto, PII past President
• Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
• Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Industry
• Rosan Roeslani, Minister of Investment and Downstreaming and CEO of Danantara
• Dody Hanggodo, Minister for Public Works
12:30 – 13.00
WFEO Hackathon – winners announcement and awards, presented by Marlene Kanga, WFEO past President
13.00 – 14:00
Lunch break / bilateral meetings
14:00 – 15:30
High-level Panel 2: “Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future”
Keynote presentation: “From Knowledge to Impact: Mobilizing the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development through Smart Engineering”, Shaofeng Hu, Director of the Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, UNESCO
High-level Roundtable moderated by: Mustafa Shehu, WFEO past President
• Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economy
• Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Information Technology
• Charlie Than, Union Minister for Ministry of Industry of Myanmar
• Anindya Bakrie, Chairman of Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (KADIN)
• Diana Kusumastuti, Vice Minister of Public Works
Keynote presentation: “From Knowledge to Impact: Mobilizing the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development through Smart Engineering”, Shaofeng Hu, Director of the Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, UNESCO
High-level Roundtable moderated by: Mustafa Shehu, WFEO past President
• Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economy
• Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Information Technology
• Charlie Than, Union Minister for Ministry of Industry of Myanmar
• Anindya Bakrie, Chairman of Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (KADIN)
• Diana Kusumastuti, Vice Minister of Public Works
15:30 – 16:00
Coffee break and networking
16:00 – 17:30
High-level Panel 3: “Global Trends on AI for Engineering Applications”
Keynote presentation: Prof. Brian Yulianto, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia and Professor of Nanotechnology at the Bandung Institute of Technology
High-level Roundtable moderated by: Yoslan Nur, Head of Engineering and Innovation Programme, UNESCO
• Refilwe Buthelezi, President of the Federation of African Engineering Organizations
• Prof. Gong Ke, WFEO past President, former President of Nankai University Tianjin, China
• Younss Ait Mou, Senior Software Engineer, College of Science and Engineering Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
• Ari Herrera, immediate past President of the Pan-American Federation of Engineering Societies (UPADI)
Keynote presentation: Prof. Brian Yulianto, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia and Professor of Nanotechnology at the Bandung Institute of Technology
High-level Roundtable moderated by: Yoslan Nur, Head of Engineering and Innovation Programme, UNESCO
• Refilwe Buthelezi, President of the Federation of African Engineering Organizations
• Prof. Gong Ke, WFEO past President, former President of Nankai University Tianjin, China
• Younss Ait Mou, Senior Software Engineer, College of Science and Engineering Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
• Ari Herrera, immediate past President of the Pan-American Federation of Engineering Societies (UPADI)
19:00 – 21:00
Official gala dinner
Thursday, 5 March 2026
WFEO work, technical depth and practical application
Thursday, 5 March 2026
WFEO work, technical depth and practical application
09:00 – 10:30
Introductory session on the third UNESCO Global Engineering Report Project
Keynote presentation: “From Knowledge to Impact: Mobilizing the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development through Smart Engineering”, Yoslan Nur, Head of Engineering and Innovation Programme, UNESCO
Moderated by KN Gunalan, WFEO President-Elect
• Nahla Al-Qassimi, Chair of WFEO Task Force on the third UNESCO Global Engineering Report
• Triono Junoasmono, Expert Staff of Ministry of Public Works
• Prof. Philippe Blanc, Head of the Energy and Processes Department, MINES Paris – PSL
• Yau Chau Fong, Managing Director, Duriane Professionals Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Keynote presentation: “From Knowledge to Impact: Mobilizing the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development through Smart Engineering”, Yoslan Nur, Head of Engineering and Innovation Programme, UNESCO
Moderated by KN Gunalan, WFEO President-Elect
• Nahla Al-Qassimi, Chair of WFEO Task Force on the third UNESCO Global Engineering Report
• Triono Junoasmono, Expert Staff of Ministry of Public Works
• Prof. Philippe Blanc, Head of the Energy and Processes Department, MINES Paris – PSL
• Yau Chau Fong, Managing Director, Duriane Professionals Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
10:30 – 11:00
Coffee break and networking
11:00 – 12.30
Panel 1: “Smart Engineering for Sustainable Infrastructure”
Moderated by: Ania Lopez, WFEO Executive Vice-President
• Prof. Muhammed Ali Berawi, Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development
• Geng Yong, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering and Environment
• Ignacio Gonzalez-Castelao, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Water
• Marie-Line Vaiani, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Energy
• Martin Manuhwa, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering Capacity Building
• Davide Stronati, Chair of WFEO Working Group on Climate Change
Moderated by: Ania Lopez, WFEO Executive Vice-President
• Prof. Muhammed Ali Berawi, Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development
• Geng Yong, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering and Environment
• Ignacio Gonzalez-Castelao, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Water
• Marie-Line Vaiani, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Energy
• Martin Manuhwa, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering Capacity Building
• Davide Stronati, Chair of WFEO Working Group on Climate Change
12.30 – 14:00
Lunch break and showcase presentations
12:30 – 13:30
2nd Steering Committee Meeting for WFEO Engineering Capacity Building for Africa Programme (ECBAP), chaired by Prof. Gong Ke, WFEO past President, former President of Nankai University Tianjin, China
12:30 – 13:30
Workshop on Benchmarking Engineering Capacity and Capability Globally, presented and moderated by Dawn Bonfield, Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC)
13:30 – 14:00
Presentation on the new programme under PSL: The International Bachelor of Environmentally Engaged Engineering (I-EB3), by Prof. Philippe Blanc, Head of the Energy and Processes Department, MINES Paris – PSL
14:00 – 15:30
Panel 2: “Integrated Innovative Digital-Green Systems for Economic Growth, Climate Resilience and Disaster Risk Management”
Moderated by: Teguh Haryono, Secretary General, PII
• Prof. Meyliana Widjaja, Vice Chancellor Global Employability and Entrepreneurship Binus University
• Prof. Hammam Riza, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Research Center at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)
• Federico Ferrario, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Disaster Risk Management
• Norlida Buniyamin, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering for Innovative Technologies
• Raoul Jacquand, VP Strategic Alliances and External Affairs, Alcatel Submarine Networks
Moderated by: Teguh Haryono, Secretary General, PII
• Prof. Meyliana Widjaja, Vice Chancellor Global Employability and Entrepreneurship Binus University
• Prof. Hammam Riza, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Research Center at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)
• Federico Ferrario, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Disaster Risk Management
• Norlida Buniyamin, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering for Innovative Technologies
• Raoul Jacquand, VP Strategic Alliances and External Affairs, Alcatel Submarine Networks
15:30 – 16:00
Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30
Panel 3: “Digitalization for Productivity and Sustainable Growth”
Moderator: Dandung Sri Hernito, PII
• Marlène Kanga, WFEO past President
• Enyonam Fafa Kpekpena, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Women in Engineering
• Paul Soegianto, Chief of Group Digital Strategy, PT Astra International, Tbk
• Chris Barrett, Executive Vice President Manufacturing, Quality and ESG, Accell Group
• Garima Bhatia, Chair of WFEO Working Group on System Engineering
• Wael Abdulmajeed, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Information and Communication
Moderator: Dandung Sri Hernito, PII
• Marlène Kanga, WFEO past President
• Enyonam Fafa Kpekpena, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Women in Engineering
• Paul Soegianto, Chief of Group Digital Strategy, PT Astra International, Tbk
• Chris Barrett, Executive Vice President Manufacturing, Quality and ESG, Accell Group
• Garima Bhatia, Chair of WFEO Working Group on System Engineering
• Wael Abdulmajeed, Chair of WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Information and Communication
17:30 – 18:30
Closing ceremony and cultural performance
Venue details
Balai Kartini, Jakarta
Situated in the heart of South Jakarta’s premier business district, Balai Kartini stands as one of Indonesia’s most established and respected convention and exhibition venues. Over the decades, it has successfully hosted a wide range of high-profile national and international conferences, trade exhibitions, and corporate events.
Strategically surrounded by leading hotels, office towers, and major commercial hubs, Balai Kartini offers exceptional accessibility. Its comprehensive facilities and professional infrastructure are designed to deliver a seamless, efficient, and comfortable experience for all participants.
Address:
Balai Kartini Convention and Exhibition Center
Jl Jenderal Gatot Subroto Kav 37
South Jakarta
12950
Indonesia
Balai Kartini Convention and Exhibition Center
Jl Jenderal Gatot Subroto Kav 37
South Jakarta
12950
Indonesia