Approved by the Infrastructure and Research Policy Committee on February 10, 2021
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on May 5, 2021
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 16, 2021

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and its international partners should continue to cooperate with the United States government, other interested government and nongovernmental organizations, to support sustainable local engineering capacity building (i.e., policy, planning, design and construction, engineering education, implementation, maintenance, asset management, disaster planning, mitigation, and recovery, etc.) in developing countries.

Issue

ASCE, through its members, institutes, committees, councils, and Agreements of Cooperation represents all aspects of civil engineering. As such, ASCE is in a unique position to foster relationships to assist other countries, specifically developing countries, and to build with building their engineering capabilities. These relationships are developed domestically (in the United States) and internationally through workshops, curriculum, conferences, information exchange, technical visits, web-seminars, mentoring, publications, and peer review panels. In this effort, ASCE actively collaborates with organizations such as the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, Pan American Association of Engineers, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization., and others.

Rationale

ASCE is committed to the global exchange of civil engineering knowledge. ASCE supports the continued building of engineering capacity in all nations, in particular developing nations. Engineering capacity building enhances the welfare of humanity and supports ASCE’s vision of building a better quality of life for all. The application of engineering principles, methods, practices, and other expertise internationally and domestically, through ASCE, its members, institutes, committees, and councils, representing all aspects of civil engineering, serves the engineering profession worldwide and benefits the broader world community.

This policy has worldwide application
ASCE Policy Statement 506
First Approved in 2004