Summary of the VKII Symposium 2001

This report provides a summary on the issues discussed during the 1st Symposium on applied engineering and computing for least developed countries, held from November 30 to December 2, 2001 in Bonn, Germany.

The papers presented at the Symposium are published in the downloadable report above. It provides informations, analysis and recommendations related to the follow-up of this symposium. The first Symposium of the VKII was held under the joint auspices of the embassy of Cameroon in Germany, the Global Co-operation Council and the Institute of Xenology.
Special thanks go to the ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon and the ambassador of the Republic of Chad for honouring their invitation and by the occasion encouraging this initiative. We also express our gratitude to the Global Cooperation Council, the United Nations Volunteers, the sponsors and all organisations and companies that directly or indirectly contributed to the success of this symposium.

The goals and objectives of the symposium were to contribute to the on-going dialogue by mainstreaming the use of technology as a new weapon in the fight against poverty. Special emphasis was given not only to the Water Supply Development Work, but also to the actions needed to make this become a reality. This report attempts to show the dynamism, richness and enthusiasm of the Symposium by placing emphasis on the practical ideas and recommendations that emerged during discussions.

More than 100 individuals, including leading people from both the so-called \"policymakers\" and \"development actors\", attended the Symposium. Interesting exchanges of views, experiences and ideas took place among field-specialists of the development and participants. The dialogue was lively, at times controversial and, most importantly, focused on practical and operational issues. The bringing together of these field-specialists, young professionals and students in a substantive debate was, in itself, a unique occasion. Many participants, including the Cameroonian Ambassador in Germany, saw this as a very significant first step in the many more debates that must necessarily take place towards integrating the use of Applied Engineering and Computing in the big challenge of development.