African Fusion November-December 2024

IIW Paper: NPOs raising welding standards

The role of aid agencies in raising welding education, training and skills levels

Chris Smallbone, IIW Fellow, SAIW Fellow and Honorary Life Member, and John Tarboton, SAIW Executive Director, highlight the role of not-for-profit organisations such as the SAIW in working directly alongside global aid/donor agencies to improve the quality of life in developing countries. Most notably, SAIW’s work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Agency (UNIDO) across Africa is highlighted.

Chris Smallbone.

John Tarboton.

T he IAEA, UNIDO, and other national and international aid/donor organ isations play prominent roles in as sisting developing countries to implement strategies to improve education, training, skills and careers opportunities at various levels of personnel to meet the present and future needs of the welding industry. This while also progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the past 45 years, the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) has a fine record of supporting both the conti nental African community and the global community in welding related activities. It is a founder member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and has played prominent roles in working with many African and IIW member countries. The SAIW embraces collective interna tional action, cooperating and collaborat ing, where possible, to apply global solu tions to global challenges. For example,

SAIW is working in line with the South African Government’s national initiatives to help South Africa to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The SAIW also supports the recently released International Institute of Welding (IIW) NWC-SDGs report. This paper shows examples of how SAIW has worked with aid/donor agencies to improve the national welding capabilities of African countries as well as progressing UN SDG 4: To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all . Such examples could also be used in other regions of the world, particularly by regional groups working with the IAEA and UNIDO amongst other aid and donor agencies. Regional opportunities The IIW NWC-SDGs report (Volume 1 Sec tion 5 pages 67 to 84) shows the countries

of the world split into nine regions: Africa, South Asia, South-East Europe, Asia, Eu rope, Latin American and The Caribbean, Oceania, North American, and The Middle East. The Report gives some ideas on how the countries in a particular region could cooperate and collaborate on projects. Examples of such collaboration in different regions could include the Asian Welding Federation (AWF), European Welding Feder ation (EWF), Southeast European Network (SEENET), SAIW-CETIME-IAEA, IAEA-ARCAL, IAEA-ARASIA and IAEA-ARC. The International Institute of Weld ing (IIW) has linked its National Welding Capability (NWC) Project and the SDGs so that strategies can be introduced by a country including implementing a Flagship Programme with a single global focus ‘To assist the country to establish, sustain and improve its national welding capability and progress its UN Sustainable Development

SAIW hosting a delegation of approximately 60 delegates for the launch of the 2022 Nuclear Energy Management Schools programme (NEMS2022).

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November-December 2024

AFRICAN FUSION