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It is with special pleasure that the Executive Board of the Portuguese Engineers Association, Ordem dos Engenheiros de Portugal (OEP), supports Eng. José Manuel Pereira Vieira as candidate for President of WFEO to be elected at the General Assembly that will take place in Melbourne, Australia on the 23rd of November 2019. His technical and professional background combined with the experience acquired as former Vice-President of OEP, President of FEANI and WFEO Executive Council Member make him an excellent candidate and the right person for this job. Eng. José Pereira Vieira is the actual President of FEANI – European Federation of National Engineering Associations, has excellent leadership qualities and has a long record of proven experience of academic management and leadership responsibilities both in technical and scientific organisations. For all this reasons I am sure that he will be up to the challenge of representing engineers worldwide as well as promoting engineering as a determinant profession in the development of a sustainable present and future. Carlos Mineiro Aires President of the Portuguese Engineers Association | Humanity is facing new and important challenges in the twenty-first century. Technological democratization of society induced dramatic changes in social life transforming modern civilization on a more individual level: personal computers, mobile communication devices, robots and cyborgs are some examples of the future of the recent past. At the same time, it is noted that a large part of the world population risks being left behind with huge deficiencies in basic infrastructures and poor public health conditions with high rates of mortality and morbidity, especially in under-five children. As a permanent and audible voice for the engineering profession in the world, WFEO should engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are the globally established framework for addressing these challenges, recognising that high standards of safety and well-being in modern societies can be achieved through advances in engineering and thereby enhance the visibility of the value of engineers to society. I have a long history of proven experience in engineering activities, academic leadership, and work in technical and scientific associations at both the national and international level. I am committed to fully support the strategy and objectives of the WFEO Engineering 2030 Plan and to work actively to create effective actions for a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable world. José Vieira Candidate for the Position of President-Elect of WFEO |