During the 2023 UN High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) on Sustainable Development, IFSW hosted a side-event , “Co-building an Eco-Social World for Sustainable Development”. Drawing upon the UN HLPF theme “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”, the event highlighted the role of a universal social protection system to help mitigate risks for child labor and unpaid workforce, the impact of COVID 19 on health and mental health, and how citizens, communities, inclusive coalitions, and professionals can co-build partnerships that ensure multidimensional policies and services that align with human rights and further the goals of the SDGs.
Serving as facilitator, Evelyn Tomaszewski, IFSW UN-NY Representative, began the panel by framing the event using highlighting the development process and values of the People’s Charter for an Eco Social World, as well as the implications for sustainable shared futures. June 2022 Global People’s Summit, a gathering of individuals and key NGOs committed to building a new eco-social world, and the People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World.
Thea Lee, Undersecretary for International Affairs at the US Department of Labor, addressed the importance of a robust universal social protection system to help mitigate risks for child labor and unpaid workforce, and highlighted examples social protections as a tool of address child labor in alignment and in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Maggie Carter, Senior Research Analyst at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), presented key messages of the UNRISD report, “ Crises of Inequality”, focusing on the impact of inequality and a broken social contract, the intersection of inequalities and power, and a new Eco-Social Contract that provides pathways towards social, economic and environmental justice.
Gita Jaffe, Senior Policy and Global Affairs Advisor, Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice, addressed the impact of COVID 19 on health and mental health through use of evidence-informed strategies to create accessible built environment that builds social connections, the critical role of the mental health workforce in scaling up public sector capacity, and the importance of centering mental health and human rights as a critical component to achieve the SDGs.
Speakers noted that social workers are key to facilitating individual and community engagement in processes that move to shifting mindsets and putting forward actions that can invite structural change. Throughout their presentations, speakers referenced the co-creating central to the pathway forward for the Peoples Charter for an Eco-Social World through bringing voice to actions we take together to build and sustain ecological integrity, economic reform, international solidarity, employment and work, and state/national social protection. 1 The People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World promotes community centered policy and practice that is respectful of the social, environmental, and cultural context of communities, organizations, and allied professionals. This aligns with the social worker’s individual and professional commitment to promote and work for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice and the profession’s commitment to in developing and sustaining partnerships that establish and deepen an interdisciplinary multi sectoral approach to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The IFSW side-event was organized by IFSW UN-NY Representatives Elaine Congress, Shenae Osborn, and Evelyn Tomaszewski : https://coursemedia.gmu.edu/media/Co-Building+an+Eco-Social+World+for+Sustainable+Development/1_bgd4ju58