Engineers play a lead role in ensuring sustainable development by improving the efficient use of energy, transportation systems and natural resources as well as by improving health and use of data. Engineers can benefit from gaining work experience in different countries; however, the host country often does not recognize their qualification.
Realizing that there is a need for standardization of engineering qualifications in ECO Region especially Pakistan and Central Asia, ECOSF partnered with UNESCO, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP) and the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (AETDEW) based in Malaysia to initiate a process of capacity building of Engineering institutions. Thus starting with Pakistan through Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) in January 2015, Engineers and Universities from across Pakistan and some ECO member countries were brought in Islamabad. Subsequently in 2016, the FEIAP accredited the PEC and Pakistan. This also helped Pakistan to be accepted as the “Washington Accord” signatory in 2017.
Under this program, ECOSF is assisting the ECO Economies particularly those who lack a national accreditation body, to improve and develop the Standards of Engineering Qualifications in those member states, particularly in the Central Asia with its launch in Tajikistan in 2018. This initiative is aimed at harmonization and standardization of the engineering curricula within the region in line with the FEIAP qualification guidelines with technical support of PEC and overall support of UNESCO.
ECOSF and UNESCO in partnership with the Academy of Sciences, Republic of Tajikistan, FEIAP, the International Science, Technology & Innovation Centre (ISTIC) and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) organized an International High Level Policy Forum and Workshop on “Developing the Roadmap on Engineering Qualification Standardization, Accreditation and Professional System (EQSAPS)” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 27 to 29 March 2017. The workshop also assessed and reviewed the existing engineering curricula offered in Tajikistan with the objective of harmonization and standardization of curricula within the country with the FEIAP engineering qualification guidelines. This program could be extended to other Central Asian economies as well subject to availability of funding and readiness of the host country.