Briefing: IFME representing municipal engineering

摘要

The President of the International Federation of Municipal Engineering (IFME) for 2009 to 2012 discusses problems that are common to all member countries and the priorities for IFME to address these issues. Global warming, skills shortages and the sustainable management of infrastructure are all highlighted as matters that every country should address. The work of IFME in communicating knowledge, research and best practice is illustrated along with a call for greater travel and work placements to be made available to young professionals to facilitate better communication in the future. The briefing highlights the problem of designing infrastructure for a future when global temperatures are likely to be far higher; methods of recruiting school students into working in the public sector to overcome the demographic problem of the looming retirement of the current generation of ageing professionals; the scale of the backlog of infrastructure renewal, much of which is now near the end of its service life. The briefing concludes with a discussion about the current membership of IFME, plans to expand its size and remit and an invitation to attend the 2012 congress in Finland.