International engineering federation FIDIC (the International Federation of Consulting Engineers) has signed a collaboration agreement with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to work together to accelerate the transition to sustainable infrastructure.
WBCSD is the leading global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive and more equitable future. WBCSD’s work involves engaging sustainability leaders from business and elsewhere to share practical insights on the obstacles and opportunities they face in tackling the integrated climate, nature and inequality sustainability challenge. This includes co-developing ‘how-to’ CEO-guides, providing science-based target guidance including standards and protocols and by developing tools and platforms to help leading businesses in sustainability drive actions to tackle climate, nature and inequality challenges across sectors and regions.
The two-year memorandum of understanding will see FIDIC and WBCSD working together to support their respective organisations’ ambitions to accelerate the transition to sustainable infrastructure planning, design, development and delivery, including speaking at events and exploring potential research opportunities. As a first step in this collaboration effort, Diane Holdorf, executive vice president of WBSCD, will be a keynote speaker at the FIDIC Global Leadership Forum Summit in Geneva in late April.
Commenting on the agreement, FIDIC chief executive Dr Nelson Ogunshakin said: “I am delighted that FIDIC has signed this important agreement with World Business Council for Sustainable Development and that our two organisations will be working closely together to promote a more sustainable approach to infrastructure.
“I am also excited that FIDIC and WBCSD will be collaborating in a range of areas including speaking at each other’s conferences and events, looking at opportunities to collaborate on research projects, exploring funding and partnership opportunities to address the challenges of climate mitigation, adaptation and nature-based solutions and working with relevant FIDIC committees and our Global Leadership Forum on addressing these crucial issues for our industry.
Reacting to the signing of the agreement with FIDIC, World Business Council for Sustainable Development executive vice president, Diane Holdorf, said: “We look forward to collaborating with FIDIC on the critical challenges we face in transforming our built environment to one that is more people-centric, regenerative and fully decarbonised. Together, our two organisations can mobilise a strong business response and align all actors to work collectively toward our vision of a world in which nine billion people are living well, within planetary boundaries, by mid-century.”
FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, is the global representative body for national associations of consulting engineers and represents over one million engineering professionals and 40,000 firms in more than 100 countries worldwide. The buildings and infrastructure sector in which FIDIC members work contributes around US$36 trillion to global GDP.
About the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
WBCSD is the premier global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, and more equitable future.
It does this by engaging executives and sustainability leaders from business and elsewhere to share practical insights on the obstacles and opportunities the world currently faces in tackling the integrated climate, nature and inequality sustainability challenge; by co-developing “how-to” CEO-guides from these insights; by providing science-based target guidance including standards and protocols; and by developing tools and platforms to help leading businesses in sustainability drive integrated actions to tackle climate, nature and inequality challenges across sectors and geographical regions.
WBCSD member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing a combined revenue of more than US$8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. Its global network of almost 70 national business councils gives its members unparalleled reach across the globe. Since 1995, WBCSD has been uniquely positioned to work with member companies along and across value chains to deliver impactful business solutions to the most challenging sustainability issues.
Together, WBCSD is the leading voice of business for sustainability, united by its vision of creating a world in which nine billion-plus people are living well, within planetary boundaries, by mid-century.
