President’s comment

A CALL FOR PEACE

in Ukraine

Achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is imperative for the preservation of our planet and the socio-economic well-being of its citizens. This is interdependent, however, on a unified front from every nation worldwide, which doesn’t factor in conflict – especially wars.

Sadly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows how fragile our world can become in an instant, displacing communities, causing death and devastation to homes and infrastructure, and harming regional and global economies. This is already evident in South Africa and abroad as a major spike in oil prices results in escalating fuel and food inflation.

WFEO response

Within the global context, IMESA is a member of the International Federation of Municipal Engineers (IFME), which in turn forms part of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO). Through its members, the WFEO represents engineers in some 100 countries.

On 6 March 2022, WFEO’s executive board approved a resolution at a meeting in San José, Costa Rica, in response to the Ukraine conflict, which IFME supports. Extracts from the resolution state: • WFEO, as an associate NGO to Unesco and an NGO in consultative status to the

UN Economic and Social Council, with the constitutional mission “to foster peace throughout the world”, values multilateral cooperation and dialogue, and supports all efforts, especially within the scientific and technological global community, which would facilitate a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.

Bhavna Soni, president, IMESA

• WFEO calls for UN institutions and national governments to take every possible measure to protect human lives and to preserve civil infrastructure, schools, hospitals, transports, communications, food, and energy supply. • WFEO has member institutions in both

Ukraine and Russia, as well as in most neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe.

We encourage them to maintain an open dialogue that will be in the best interest of their communities, and to support any initiative to provide assistance in the context of the humanitarian crisis, within and beyond the borders of Ukraine. Within the context of a post-Covid-19 recovery, WFEO stressed the need for more integrated approaches to address climate change and build global resilience. “In such a context, the military confrontation is not only something that we all reject, from the engineers’ standpoint, it is something that no country and community in the world can afford,” WFEO stated.

85th IMESA Conference

Back at home, the role of engineers has never been more important in terms of supporting government’s reconstruction and development programme, with IMESA spearheading enabling initiatives in the municipal space.

One of our most important forums for public and private sector debate in this area is the annual IMESA Conference, which takes place between 2 and 4 November this year at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Gauteng.

The 2022 theme is ‘Adapting to our changing world’, and delegate registration opens on 3 May. Since this is again a physical conference, we’re looking forward to a great turnout, with an excellent group of speakers, and vibrant indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

Let’s use the opportunity to help engineer a strong and prosperous South Africa as our contribution to building a better world. And for Ukraine, we pray for a speedy resolution.