THE WFEO  MODEL CODE OF ETHICS

BROAD PRINCIPLES

Ethics is generally understood as the discipline or field of study dealing with moral duty or obligation. This typically gives rise to a set of governing principles or values which in turn are used to judge the appropriateness of particular conduct or behavior. These principles are usually presented either as broad guiding principles of an idealistic or inspirational nature, or, alternatively, as a detailed and specific set of rules couched in legalistic or imperative terms to make them  more enforceable. Professions that have been given the privilege and responsibility of self regulation, including the engineering profession, have tended to opt for the first alternative, espousing sets of underlying principles as codes of professional ethics which from the basis and framework for responsible professional practice. Arising from this context, professional codes of ethics have sometimes been incorrectly interpreted as a set of "rules" of conduct intended for passive observance. A more appropriate use by practicing professionals is to interpret the essence of the underlying principles within their daily  decision making situations in a dynamic manner, responsive to the need of the situation. As a consequence, a code of professional ethics is more than a minimum standard of conduct; rather' it is a set of principles ethics should guide professionals in their daily work.

In Summary, the model code presented herein expresses the expectations  of engineers and society in discharging the engineers' professional responsibilities.  The code is based on broad principles of truth, honesty and trusthworthiness, respect for human life and welfare, fairness, openness, competence and accountability. Some of these broader ethical principles or issues deemed more universally applicable are not specifically defined in the code, although they are understood to be applicable as well. Only those tenets deemed to be particularly applicable to the practice of professional engineering are specified. Nevertheless, ethical principles or issues not commonly considered to be part of professional ethics may sometimes have implications on the engineer's professional role.

Issues regarding the environment and sustainable development know no geographical boundaries. The engineers and citizens of all nations should know and respect an environmental ethic.It is desirable therefore that engineers in each nation continue to observe the philosophy of the principles of environmental ethics delineated in section III of this code.

Model Code of Ethics

l try with the best of their ability, courage, enthusiasm and dedication, to obtain a superior technical achievement, which will contribute to and promote a healthy and agreeable surrounding for all people, in open spaces as well as indoors;

l strive to accomplish the beneficial objectives of their work with the lowest possible consumption of raw materials and energy and the lowest production of wastes and any kind of pollution;

l discuss in particular the consequences of their proposals and actions, direct or indirect, immediate or long term, upon the health of people, social equity and the local system of values;

l study thoroughly the environment that will be affected, assess all the impacts that might arise in the structure, dynamics and aesthetics of the ecosystems involved, urbanized or natural, as well as in the pertinent socio-economic systems, and select the best alternative for development that is both environmentally sound and sustainable;

l promote a clear understanding of the actions required to restore and, if possible, to improve the environment that may be disturbed, and include them in their proposals;

l reject any kind of commitment that involves unfair damages for human surroundings and nature, and aim for the best possible technical, social, and political solution;

l be aware that the principles of eco-systemic interdependence, diversify maintenance, resource recovery and inter-relational harmony form the basis of humankind’s continued existence and that each of these bases poses a threshold of sustainability that should not be exceeded.