Engineers Without Borders Global Summit ignites collaboration

Hosted by EWB Malaysia and facilitated by Eleanor Loudon, the summit saw representatives from 22 nations come together to forge a path towards collaborative solutions for global challenges, including the following EWB organisations:

Africa:

• EWB East Africa
• EWB Sierra Leone
• EWB South Africa

Americas:

• EWB Argentina
• EWB Canada
• EWB Guatemala
• EWB Honduras
• EWB USA

Asia & Pacific:

• EWB Australia
• EWB Hong Kong
• EWB India
• EWB Malaysia
• EWB Nepal
• EWB Philippines
• EWB Singapore
• EWB Sri Lanka

Europe:

• EWB Belgium
• EWB Luxembourg
• EWB Netherlands
• EWB Norway
• EWB Switzerland
• EWB UK

The event was marked by a keynote address from Stephen Cornish, Director General Operational Center Geneva of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who highlighted the intricacies of international collaboration in governance and operations.

“We are walking away [from the summit] with a deep commitment in our hearts,” shared EWB International Executive Director, Katie Cresswell-Maynard. “It's something really meaningful - a commitment to the global Engineers Without Borders movement and the world outside of our doors.”

The summit's outcomes include the establishment of a centre for excellence on community infrastructure, with a focus on addressing critical water access issues. Plans to expand the delivery of world-class educational programs were also discussed, aiming to equip the future engineering community to tackle global challenges effectively. Other significant strides made towards strengthening the global EWB movement included the proposal of a charter, standardised impact measurement, and a reinforced commitment to cross-network collaboration.

The 2024 EWB Global Summit is a landmark event in EWB's history, demonstrating that something extraordinary happens when the global engineering community comes together. EWB is already looking forward to the initiatives that will commence in 2025 thanks to this milestone event, as the EWB network continues to drive forward a movement of global collaboration.

The summit's success was made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors: Anglo American Foundation, Bentley Systems, Digital Network Solutions, F1Soft, Pam Girard and Shayne Smith whose commitment to the Engineers Without Borders global movement is deeply appreciated.