Challenging Inequality Malaysian Young Scientist Promotes Equality in the Engineering Community

The 11^th International Forum of NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO took place at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, on the theme “Challenging Inequalities”, with a focus on areas such as youth, income, technology, gender, and education. The forum was organised by the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee in close cooperation with the UNESCO Secretariat.

The main objective of the Forum was to identify concrete examples of good practices and grass-root actions as well as develop a set of recommendations to tackle inequalities, with a focus on areas such as youth, income, technology, gender, and education. YSN-ASM member Ir Prof Dr Leong Wai Yie was invited to represent the World Federation of Engineering Organisation to share the policies, practices and challenges of equalities in the engineering community, discussing to a great extent the inequalities in policies, STEM education, career and leadership position in ASEAN and in the Asia Pacific countries. Initiatives to further promote equalities were highlighted from the viewpoint of the efforts of NGOs and governmental agencies.

The forum also discussed on challenges to understand how inequality futures could become ‘equality’ futures, and how action by governments, engineering community, civil society, businesses, and citizens can make a difference. This helps to widen the focus on inequality and its consequences to encompass greater equality and how it can be achieved, pointing to a number of transformative pathways which can help move us towards a fairer world.

In addition, the forum also highlighted several examples of rule-changing measures in trade and finance, taxation and asset distribution, work and employment, education, health care, social protection and housing that can contribute to reducing inequalities. Speakers also commented on policies which have been implemented recently in countries and regions that have undergone a reduction or stabilisation of rising inequalities. These countries have targeted several dimensions of inequalities by combining measures that nevertheless may have differed from one country to another. These countries also benefited from positive conditions including economic growth (which is often a prerequisite for governments to have the capacity to mount major new programmes), political stability, and a shared concern for rising inequalities. The engineering community could always play an important role in this context.

Ir Professor Leong Wai Yie is the Chairperson of The Institution of Engineering and Technology Malaysia (IET), a member on the Board of Director of International Networks of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES), Vice President  of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) and the WFEO Committees on Engineering for Innovative Technologies (CEIT) and Women in Engineering (WIE).