A landmark decision was made at the WFEO Executive Council meeting held in Madrid on 1 March 2023 with the unanimous approval of the WFEO Statement of operating Values and Principles with the strong support of the WFEO President Jose Vieira and the members of the WFEO Executive Board.
The document may be accessed in this link.
Organizations are increasingly documenting their expectations of behaviors and operating principles to provide clarity to staff and members, and to improve the quality and efficiency of their operations.
WFEO does not have a Code of Conduct as its members are organizations and it does not have the authority to take disciplinary action against individuals. This power lies with the members of WFEO. WFEO has a Model Code of Ethics which can be used by its members but so far it had no statement to apply to its own operations.
The WFEO Values and Principles document states the expectations of appropriate behavior and operating principles that reflect WFEO values. The statement of expectations can be read out by WFEO Chairs of Committees and Working Groups at meetings, or referenced at the start of a meeting.
The WFEO Values and Principles document was developed by the WFEO Governance Committee after reviewing Codes of Ethics, Codes of Practice and Codes of Conduct by leading engineering organizations internationally and aligns with contemporary best practices. The document addresses key principles, that are universally accepted, in a manner that is unique to WFEO. The Governance Committee, the WFEO President and members of the WFEO Board all contributed to the final statement that was approved.
The WFEO Values and Principles document establishes an explicit benchmark for the values and behaviors of WFEO members and a better standard of operation for our organization. The document will be issued on its own and included in the WFEO Rules of Procedures. It may also form the Preamble to the WFEO Model Code of Ethics which is currently under review.
Article Contributed by Dr Marlene Kanga, WFEO President 2017-2019.
For more information:
WFEO Statement on operating Values and Principles
MAY
2023