The Commonwealth Engineers´ Council (CEC) is a professional body for
all engineers from across the Commonwealth. Representing 42
engineering institutions across five continents, CEC is a global
organisation which aims to advance the science, art and practice of
engineering for the benefit of mankind. The Council is headquartered
in London within the Institution of Civil Engineers, and is primarily
a virtual organization, levying no charge on its members.

The aims of the CEC include; to foster co-operation and information
exchange between member organisations, to support the development of
indigenous engineering organizations, to promote education, training
and professional development of engineers and to encourage the
transfer of technology from North to South. The CEC also acts to
represent its members, especially those in developing countries, to
the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO). The
President of the CEC, Professor Tony Ridley, sits on the WFEO
Executive Committee as CEC Representative, and attends WFEO meetings
in this capacity in order to voice CEC opinions, to raise issues
relevant to CEC members, and to act on the behalf of individual
member institutions when required.

The history of IYPF is very closely connected to that of the CEC, and
strong links exist between the two organisations, with CEC Deputy
Secretary Neil Bailey participating in the Organising Committee of
the forthcoming IYPS 2008. Under past-President Dato Lee Yee Cheong,
and before becoming a virtual organisation, CEC traditionally met
every two years on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meetings (CHOGM). Although there was no CEC meeting at
Durban in 1999, CEC did organise a meeting in London during 2000,
this time widening the remit and focusing on Young Commonwealth
Professionals. Further change occurred in 2001 when the CHOGM in
Brisbane was delayed as a result of the events of 09/11; the CEC
event went ahead as scheduled, organised by young Australians and
becoming a meeting of Young International Professionals, leading
directly to the creation of IYPF.

Owing to the importance of engineering within international
development in general, and the fulfilment of the UN Millennium
Development Goals in particular, CEC is currently actively engaged
with issues of international development and poverty alleviation. As
well as advocacy and the raising of awareness, this also includes
maximising the contribution of skilled engineering professionals.
This is done through networking, through the provision of a forum for
debate and the exchange of ideas, and through specific initiatives
and events.

Forthcoming initiatives in which CEC is involved include
participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be
held in Kampala in November 2007, with a workshop on urbanisation to
be hosted by CEC and its partners in BEPIC (Built Environment
Professions in the Commonwealth). This is intended to allow the
engagement of infrastructure professionals in the South in order to
address global issues of urbanisation and rural-urban migration. CEC
has also recently joined an international consortium which is bidding
for funds under the UK Government´s `Governance & Transparency
Scheme´, in order to establish a network of voluntary organisations
and NGOs across sub-Saharan Africa. By actively partnering Northern
and Southern organisations together, the consortium aims to transfer
skills and knowledge in order to promote the successful development
of a successful third sector locally, in the interests of furthering
economic development and transparency.

CEC strives to engage with all engineers across the Commonwealth, and
works through national engineering institutions, upon whom the
official CEC membership is conferred. However individual engineers
are welcome to contact the CEC´s Secretariat and can register to
receive the biannual newsletter, as well as submit articles and
opinion pieces for the benefit of their colleagues across the
Commonwealth. Further information on the CEC, its history, ethos and
membership base, can be found on the CEC website www.ice.org.uk/cec,
where you can also sign up for the newsletter. Alternatively,
additional information can be sourced by contacting the CEC´s London
Secretariat (neil.bailey@ice.org.uk).