IIW History 1948-1958

CHAPTER III

INFLUENCE OF THE IIW AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AND LIAISONS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Welding and allied techniques (oxygen cutting, building-up, etc.) play an extremely important part in industry to-day and are processes which are of interest to all fields in which there are problems of construction and equipment. Consequently, the most diverse circles have gradually become conscious of the importance of these techniques - circles which include not only the producers of raw materials and equipment for the welding processes, but also the makers of the materials assembled, fabricators in all fields (shipbuilding, the automobile industry, railways, bridges and structures, machine frames, boilers, equipment for the chemical, petroleum and food industries, the production and exploitation of all forms of energy, etc.) and finally the users of welded products who benefit from the improved behaviour in service, from both the t echnical and economic IJOints of view, resulting from the use of ·welding. Seen in all its aspects, therefore, welding no longer appears, as might be imagined, a speck in the universe of human activities but as a focus of interest to which the most diverse disciplines are more or less directly attracted. Doubtless, this is one of the reasons which account for the importance of the II\V at an international level and for the fact that its work is quoted and mentioned in many quarters. But the Institute has, besides, attempt ed to ensure that all necessary liaison is maintained with international groups and 0rgani– sations whose objectives have points in con1mon with its own activities. In the first place, it may be mentioned that the IIW became a member of the Union of International Engineering Organisations (UATI) on the foundation, in March r95r, of this body, which was established on the initiative of UNESCO with a view to bringing together non-governmental international technical organ– isations for the discussion of common problems. The II\V representative on the UATI was in 1954 appointed a Vice-President of the latter with a term of office of six years. The procedure of the IIW has often been cited as an example within the UATI a nd it is through this organisation that UNESCO has become parti– cularly interested in the IIW's work on multilingual terminology and biblio– graphy. In particular, the IIW has been invited to appoint qualified represen– tatives to participate in international conferences and discussions organised by UNESCO, both on the problems mentioned above and on general technical questions such as, for instance, the use of radio-isotopes. The various member