The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development started in 2010 when 3000 social work representatives and social development professionals came together to set the priorities for the profession until 2020. This significantly successful period of the Global Agenda has been an essential voice in proactively setting and fulfilling the Sustainable Developmental Goals, working towards more peaceful and just societies and strengthening the voice of the social work profession.
Now, the social work profession needs to examine new themes and processes to expand the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development for the years 2020 to 2030. From IFSW, we are launching a consultation process, where your input is essential to build a robust and inclusive Global Agenda that meets the real needs of all people. The consultation period will end in July 2020.
Please make your contributions to the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development 2020 – 2030 by filling in the comments box at the bottom of this page.
To see the reports of the Global Agenda from 2010 to 2018 please visit the IFSW Bookstore where you can download the reports for free. Below is a video message from the IFSW President Silvana Martinez and Secretary-General Rory Truell providing some examples of the success of the Global Agenda and inviting all people interested in the development of social work to participate in the consultation process. The video is subtitled in both Spanish and English.
Comments Section
Please leave any comments on your proposed Global Agenda themes for 2020 to 2030 and any suggestions for how to integrate the themes across the decade which also allows the Global Agenda process to effectively respond to any unforeseen social issues that may arise.
Hello everybody,
I am a social worker and addictologist in France. And I am a strong supporter of the destigmatization of people helped by social workers, especially in individual counseling. This discipline is open to everyone, regardless of their needs, visible or not in everyday life.
I am also thinking of three categories in great difficulty in France, and probably more widely in Europe. Without ranking by priority :
– the disabled and / or elderly at a time when services are less and less accessible (decisions after sending forms, certificates and communication via a membership account on the Internet,…)
– migrants seeing their right of residence denied, including minors considered major, who are deadlocked (impossibility to find housing, to earn a living by working,…)
– people suffering from mental illnesses and/or addictions to alcohol or illegal drugs (rejection, stigmatization or indifference, including in the health care system)
But here we are. Leaving no one behind.
Kind regards,
Angola
O Serviço Social em Angola tem enfrentado desafios de afirmação enquanto categoria profissional fruto da dinâmica politica do país, por isso, como profissional, saúdo a iniciativa de consulta para a agenda global 2020-2030, pelo que espero dentre os temas propostos para a reflexão, sejam enfatizadas as dimensões da cidadania enquanto principio inalienável da profissão de Serviço Social.
Reflectir a cidadania significa empoderar as pessoas relativamente aos seus direitos e participação social para a construção da harmonia social.
Concordo com os temas propostos, e sugiro que seja feito um acompanhamento minucioso ao cumprimento da agenda a nível das regiões.
Hello everybody! We are two students who study Social Studies. During our studies we have focused on social goals in the Netherlands.
In our seminar “International and European Developments in Social Work”, we have worked out three common goals in terms of the “Global Agenda” for the years from 2020 to 2030. Our first goal deals with education, gender equality and the basic needs of humans. The second goal focuses on human rights and our third one is about integration and migration.
Considering one of our own goals, we think that the education system in the Netherlands should offer a system with more equal opportunities. Children of socially lower classes are supposed to gain the same educational opportunities as children from more upper classes/families.
A further goal, which we hope to achieve in the Netherlands, is the improvement of the human rights situation, since it has worsened enormously on site over recent years. The difficulties and physical limitations of elderly people are disregarded, discrimination by the police takes place and additionally, refugees are not welcomed with due respect. Certainly, we are aware that the Netherlands do not show a too bad human rights situation but nevertheless, we still hope for further improvements in order to maintain the right to be called “the guardian of human rights”.
Finally, we hope for the Netherlands that they increase their tolerance for both refugees and new immigrants. We know for sure that the tolerance has decreased during the recent years and that although the country possesses and holds on to the anti-discrimination-law. Therefore, we think that there is still much to improve in a country like the Netherlands as well and thus, the previously mentioned aspects are our wishful thinking for the “Global Agenda 2020-2030”.
We are students from Germany. In our seminar „International Social Work“ we pay attention to social work in different regions. One point for your country Angola to adress in the abcoming agenda should be, that the goverment should have more transparency about the situation in the social system and the problem in there. Additionally should be more freedom of speech for more awareness in the country about the social problems. In relation to the education system should be more practical trainings for the young people in Angola so that there is an easier way to connect the people to work and education. We hope you take these points in the next global agenda to improve the critical situation in Angola.
We are students from Germany. In our Seminar „International Social Work“ we intensely payed attention to social work in different directions of the world. With our group of seven people we concentrated on the region of Kenya and encountered on three different points that we figured out. The points are education, corruption and climate change. The first of our points seems most important to us because it’s necessary to sustainably improve the economic situation of Kenya. For example would education reduce crime and improve the health care. It is important to educate the population of topics such as nutrition, child malnutrition, illnesses and medication. At the point of corruption it’s important to mention that often occur a financial abstraction of funds. That means the money doesn’t arrive where it is needed urgently. Instead, corrupt politicians and leaders benefit of the funds. There is no agenda within the country and politicians aren’t focusing their attention on important topics. This includes climate change, agriculture, education and health. Politics is too focused on economic growth. To achieve an improvement in the above mentioned factors it would require a better infrastructure, better education and pay for civil servants. The third important point to mention is climate change. 60% of employees in Kenya work in the agricultural sector. Global warming leads to every strong earthquakes, floods, heat waves and droughts. The agricultural advisory services are poorly trained and poorly paid.
Hallo zusammen!
Wir sind eine Gruppe Studentinnen aus Düsseldorf und haben uns im Rahmen des Seminars „Internationale Soziale Arbeit“ mit der Sozialen Arbeit in der Schweiz beschäftigt.
Die Sozialhilfe wird dezentral von den unterschiedlichen Kantonen gesteuert. Ein Ziel wäre, trotz des föderalen Staatssystems der Schweiz ein einheitliches Sozialhilfegesetz zu entwickeln, in dem einheitliche Standards festgelegt sind.
Zudem sollte die Schweiz mehr die tatsächliche Hilfe und weniger die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Sozialen Arbeit im Auge behalten. Ein weiteres Ziel wäre, die soziale Gerechtigkeit in der Schweiz im Allgemeinen zu verbessern.
Da die Schweiz nach westlichen Standards ein extrem konservatives Land ist, stehen sich unserer Ansicht nach die Politik und die festgefahrenen Ansichten der Bürger häufig selbst im Weg.
We are students from Germany. In our studies to the topic „International Social Work“ we pay attention to social work in different regions. One point for the country Poland near Germany to adress in the upcoming agenda should be the womens rights. The only role of a woman as a housewife and mother, is often reality in Poland because of the actions of the government. This doesn´t fit in the modern views of identity in Europe and also don´t allow self-determination and self-realization of humans with natural rights. Many Polish women are disadvantaged in her everyday life and social services. Womens rights is not only in Poland a topic, Social Work should act in other countrys and regions all over the world for better positions and laws for women like the same like mens have.