29 October 2010: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has released a report titled “Engineering: Issues, challenges and opportunities for development.”

The report notes that the current economic crisis presents challenges and opportunities for engineering, highlighting encouraging signs that world leaders recognize the importance of continuing to fund engineering, science and technology at a time when investments in infrastructure, technology for climate change mitigation and adaptation may provide a path to economic recovery and sustainable development. The report stresses the critical role of engineering in addressing the large-scale pressing challenges facing our societies worldwide, such as: tackling the coupled issues of energy, transportation and climate change; natural and man-made disaster mitigation; environmental protection; and natural resource management.

The report is a platform for the presentation and discussion of the role of engineering in development, with particular reference to challenges and opportunities. Overall global issues and challenges include: the need to reduce poverty, promote sustainable social and economic development and address the other UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); globalization; and the need to bridge the digital and broader technological and knowledge divides. Specific emerging issues and challenges include climate change mitigation and adaptation and the urgent need to move to a low-carbon future. The report sheds new light on the need to, inter alia: develop public and policy awareness and understanding of engineering, affirming the role of engineering as the driver of innovation, social and economic development; more effectively innovate and apply engineering and technology to global issues and challenges such as poverty reduction, sustainable development and climate change, and urgently develop greener engineering and low carbon technology. [The Report]