Geneva Hosts ITA World Tunnel Congress

The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) held its 39^th meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, June 1-5 conjunction with the World Tunnel Congress 2013 “Underground – the Way to the Future.” The event, organized by ITA and the Swiss Tunnelling Society (STS), attracted more than 1,800 people.

Fifty-eight of the 71 Member Nations participated or were represented in the General Assembly. Member Nations present or represented included: South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Republic of Korea, Costa-Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Spain, United States of America, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Macedonia (FYROM), Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Norway, Panama, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine.

The ITA General Assembly has elected a new council. The President of ITA for the period 2013-2016 is Søren Degn Eskesen from Denmark. Other officers include: In-Mo Lee, Korea, Past President Until 2016; Rick P. Lovat, Canada, First Vice-President Until 2016; Tarcisio Celestino, Brazil, Vice-President Until 2016; Amanda Elioff, United States, Vice-President Until 2016; Daniele Peila, Italy, Vice-President Until 2016; Alexander Gomes, Chile, Member Until 2016; Ruth Gunlaug Haug, Norway, Member Until 2016; Nikolaos Kazilis, Greece, Member Until 2016; Eric Leca, France, Member Until 2016; Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan, China, Member Until 2016; Davorin Kolic, Croatia, Ex Officio Member Until 2015; Felix Amberg, Switzerland, Treasurer Until 2016.

Upcoming annual meetings are scheduled for Iguaçu Falls, Brazil, May 9-15, 2014; Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 22-28, 2015; and San Francisco, June 12-15, 2016.