Global Social Work Student Conference 2011 - Empowering Social Action

2011 Global Social Work Student Conference Silver School of Social Work New York University 27 March 2011 www.icsw.org

www.globalsocialagenda.org

Abye Tasse - IASSW Charles Abbey - ICSW Gary Bailey IFSW David N Jones 2012 International Programme Committee New York City March 2011 www.icsw.org

3 International Organizations IASSW International Association of Schools of Social Work ICSW International Council on Social Welfare IFSW International Federation of Social Workers

Why are we doing this? The three organisations (IASSW, ICSW, IFSW) have set up a common platform to help steer The Global Agenda process And to support colleagues around the world in their deliberations and mobilisation initiatives

Vision for the Agenda process To claim/reclaim the priority of social action To create a collective voice of those in social work and social development and in social work education To develop a process for setting a common agenda To strategise the implementation of actions and to develop ways of monitoring, evaluating and improving our efforts

New Challenges - New Strategies The development of a Global Agenda gives us the opportunity to: take stock of our past experiences to articulate a new and crucial vision for engagement that can mobilise our members, our partners and beyond

Purpose of 2010 & 2012 Global Congresses Begin a process of shared engagement in 2010 Stimulating a larger global movement Rebuilding confidence Focusing on implementation and action in 2012

Outcomes from Hong Kong 2010 Over 3,000 participants met in Hong Kong and agreed to launch a global movement to address the major challenges of our societies Major and relevant social issues that connect within and across our profession have been identified in The Agenda and provide a basis for consultation

Towards World Social Work Day 2012 First draft Hong Kong - June 2010 Revised September 2010 Consultation October 2010 Review of responses December 2010 themes from feedback identified and disseminated (no revision at this stage) Consultation February 2011 World Social Work Day 15 March 2011 - world-wide discussion

Towards World Social Work Day 2012 Information and communication strategy - Global organisations stimulate engagement and ownership World Social Work Day 2012 - 20 March 2012 The Agenda officially submitted to the United Nations Secretary General Every Region submits The Agenda to continental organisations (African Union, ASEAN, European Union, Mercosur, etc.) National groupings submit The Agenda to their governments

Communication and Mobilisation after WSWD 2011 Revise Agenda statement taking account of feedback Activate social networks Commission publications Develop materials to support debate Strengthen lobbying, diplomacy and influence Link with user groups

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Article 25 Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection (1948)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) The MDG s are global time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions - income, poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion - while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights - the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security as pledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN millennium declaration. Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (2002)

Previous areas of local,national and global engagement Poverty Disaster prevention and intervention Peace-building processes Human rights Challenges across the life cycle Disabilities Partnership with Service Users/ Consumers Interdisciplinary practice and policy

The 4 themes Social and economic inequalities within countries and between regions Dignity and worth Environmental sustainability Importance of human relationships

Social and economic inequalities within countries and between regions Recent and continuing economic crisis Damaging interventions chosen in response (e.g. supporting financial systems while cutting social support and development) Absence of a social protection floor

Social and economic inequalities within countries and between regions Increasing rates of poverty and other forms of social inequalities Worsening marginalisation of populations and of the working poor Community disintegration

Dignity and worth Human rights issues in relation to social, economic, cultural and political situations Respect for diversity and different belief systems, especially indigenous and first people s voices

Dignity and worth Political instabilities, violence, dominations, erosion of peace building processes, Terrorism and mode of responses by states and the modalities of handling global conflicts Migration, refugees, trafficking, immigrants, immigration and ways of handling these issues

Environmental Sustainability Disasters of natural and human origin - management & prevention Involvement of local communities in developing responses Implications for sustainable social development Protecting physical environment Proactive engagement with social, human and ecological development

Importance of human relationships Family and relationship issues and challenges across the life span emerge as a major concern in relation to the transformation of the world

Importance of human relationships For example Children and families Disabilities Health and mental health Ageing Drugs and substance abuse Violence within domestic and intimate relationships

Action since Hong Kong 2010 Since the 2010 Hong Kong conference, numerous initiatives have taken place across the globe Feedback from the first consultation in 2010 demonstrated that issues identified in the draft Global Agenda are endorsed by the majority of the members who provided feedback

Feedback from the first consultation additional topics Improving access to social work education Health issues Differing local and regional agendas Social protection mechanism for all Indigenous Peoples and UN Declaration Intergenerational Equity Gender All forms of Discrimination Knowledge generation and sharing

Feedback from the first consultation additional topics Social and economic inequalities conflictual and post-conflictual situations; vulnerability of people in low income countries to global pressures - individual & community social, health and economic inequalities within countries and between regions health consequences Dignity and worth of the person religion and human rights issues; human rights issues in relation to social, health, economic, cultural and political situations Environmental sustainability natural resources & healthy communities; environmental sustainability for health

Strategic challenge Can we agree on a set of priorities, or do we continue to develop others?

Together we build the agenda Together we face the challenge Together we thrive