Abstract
The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development (2012) is now engaging social workers, social development practitioners, educators and international, national and local organisations to contribute towards environmental and community sustainability.
Protecting the natural environment is a key feature in promoting economic and social justice, particularly for poor people. We know from research that climate change and environmental degradation affect all populations across the globe, but in different ways. Poor and marginalized people such as children, women, older and disabled people, indigenous populations and those displaced by such crises, like (im)migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, are the most vulnerable. Nature will continue to provide humans with resources in the future only if they use them wisely in the present. Sustainability thus means that we have to meet the needs of current and future generations without exhausting either natural or human capital. The vision of the complex interdependence between the human being and the natural world is central to building a sustainable environment and needs a change in the way that people think and act in society and in their lives. The sustainability needs to integrate the environmental, economic and social aspects with the ethical one.
As social workers and social work educators we have to contribute to build a political agenda within a human rights-based framework, and to promote in theory and practice a holistic model rooted in social, economic and environmental justice. Our commitment is also in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 that emphasize the importance of both people and the planet in achieving sustainable development. The 2017 World Social Work Day has been celebrated in different parts of the world with many initiatives focusing on the third pillar of the Global Agenda – Working toward environmental sustainability. The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASWW), together with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), organised two important events at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva and in New York.
World Social Work Day in Geneva – Switzerland at the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office
The event ‘Social Work and Sustainability’ took place on 21 and 22 March 2017, with the IASSW and IFSW in collaboration with United Nations agencies, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland – Social Work, Geneva (HETS) and the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNIRISD). After the welcome by Paul Ladd (Director of UNRISD), he and Ana Lima (President of IFSW, Europe), and myself on behalf of IASSW, a panel of experts from the International Labour Organization, UNAIDS, the UN High Commission for Refugees, the UN High Commission on Human Rights, were moderated by Klaus Kuhne, IFSW’s main representative to the UN in Geneva. At the end of the meeting there was the launch of the book Getting to Zero: Global Social Work Response to HIV, chiefly edited by Mark Henrikson. This joint initiative of the IASSW and UNAIDS was undertaken by Vimla Nadkarni and Mark Henrikson after the World Social Work Day in 2014. The book can be download for free at: http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2017/global-social-work-responds-to-HIV.
The second day of the event began with a welcome by Joelle Libois (HETS) and an introductory speech from Nino Zganec (President of the European Association of Schools of Social Work [EASSW]). Anne Kavanchy introduced the key address presented by Lena Dominelli (Durham University, UK and former IASSW President). Reflecting on ‘Green social work, environmental justice and the global agenda’, Lena Dominelli emphasized the human impact of climate change and environmental disasters and the roles that social work needs to play in prevention, mitigation and sustainable development. In the afternoon, a panel of academics, with institutional and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives, presented concrete examples of the challenges of sustainable development for social work in various contexts including Cambodia, Togo, Armenia and Geneva. With regard to their conclusions, Rory Truell, Anne Lavanchy and myself underlined some commitments and possible cooperation between IASSW, IFSW and UN agencies. These were as follows:
increasing the knowledge and visibility of social work approaches and capacity within UN agencies (e.g. to form a body/network of social workers practising with and within the UN agencies);
creating joint guidelines on how social work organizations can successfully engage with UN national and regional offices;
building into social work education and practice related policies information on the role of UN agencies and the SDGs, and bridging this with social work approaches to development;
establishing joint strategic research that enhances the role of social work in fulfilling the SDGs;
providing information on the role of social work in fulfilling the SDGs and creating job descriptions to support joint workforce development strategies
World Social Work Day at the UN Headquarters – New York
The 34th annual Social Work Day at the UN Headquarters took place on 17 April 2017 and focused on ‘Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability’. The presentations underlined different experiences and reflections on the topic from a variety of positions: the Bangladesh Ambassador, Masud Bin Momen, Permanent UN Representative of the Mission of Bangladesh; John Ennis, Chief of Information and Outreach in the Office of Disarmament Affairs, UN; Terri Klemm, Associate Professor and Bachelor of Social Work Program Director, Centenary University; Elizabeth Gustafson, Master of Social Work student from the University of Connecticut; and Roberto Borrero, NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous People. Shirley Gatenio Gabel (IASSW) served as co-chair of the event with Robin Mama (IFSW). As IASSW President, I had the task of wrapping up the discussion and providing concluding remarks. The World Social Work Day event was attended by almost 400 people including professionals, students and teachers, and was video-recorded by the UN. This can be accessed here: http://webtv.un.org/search/34th-annual-social-work-day-at-the-united-nations/5400996547001?term=social%20work%20day .
This celebration was followed by the Student’s Forum on ‘World Water Rights: Promoting Environmental Justice in a Globalized World’. These initiatives are very important to strengthen the links and cooperation with the UN, but also to make visible the social work commitment in society. We are looking forward to receiving documents about initiatives that have been undertaken in different countries to monitor the situation so that regional observatories can prepare a comprehensive report about the engagement of social work in promoting environmental and community sustainability.