President Report (January- April, 2024)
For Panama Board Meeting
I’m pleased to present a concise overview of our activities over the past three months.
On January 23, 2024, we conducted an online Board Meeting with attendance from 25
Board Members. One of the significant advantages of hosting meetings online is theability for maximum participation, as there is no need for individuals to travel. The
meeting proved to be highly productive as we engaged in discussions on various crucialmatters. Also the budget for the year 2024 was successfully approved during themeeting.

As always, regular meetings among the officers have been conducted to address various
emerging issues.
Additionally, significant regular meetings have been held with the tripartite group andthe Panama committee to oversee the progress of organizing the Panama conference. A
heartfelt thank you goes to Vishanthie Sewpaul for her exceptional coordination efforts
between the diverse local and global committees involved in this endeavor.
Numerous meetings have been held to address updates to our website. While the newwebsite boasts a more attractive and better-structured design, some technical issues
have arisen in the invoicing and election voting processes. Special appreciation isextended to Rashmi, who has served as a central point of reference, responding tomember difficulties and liaising with the Neural team to explain the processes involved.
More work needs to be done on the new website, as the data transfer and linking ofpages from the old website have not yet been completed. This is precisely why we havedesignated the old website as an "Archive website" on the new platform. I kindly request
each board member and Committee Chair to visit the new website and provide feedback
on what is missing and what still needs to be addressed. Your insights are invaluable inensuring the website meets our expectations and serves its purpose effectively.

March is the world social work day month and as every year, many initiatives have beenplanned.
Locating a country mission to sponsor Social Work Day at the UN in New York this year
has been not successful. Without a country sponsor, it was not possible to reserve an
event room at the UN.
Event with the students will be organized and the UN group of colleagues is planning on
holding a human rights event in December in NY at Fordham for students.
Both Geneva and Bangkok will host the WSWD event.
The task force on the Global Standard is working to conclude the preparation of the 5modules that will be distributed for free to disseminate information on the document
and facilitate its implementation: We are planning to present this initiative in May inHong Kong.
The cooperation with CASWE (Chinese Association of Social Work Educators) isproceeding. We have prepared the first 4 reports and we will start with the next roundof peer review in May.
The Springer brief series is also ongoing.
January
9th, we convened a meeting with Power US representative and our communication
officer, to assess our collaborative endeavors. We have scheduled another meeting
during the Panama conference, where Cecilia Huele, nominated by IASSW as a keynote
speaker, will participate in an informal platform for discussions. This session, held in thedesignated IASSW room with approximately 20 seats, aims to shape our future plans
and foster direct engagement with Power US representatives from colleagues
worldwide.
11th on line speech at the National Conference on Social Work and Diversity: A Catalystfor Change, on Respecting diversity: the engagement of IASSW. The conference wasorganized by Department of Social Work, Central University of Karnataka (India)
22nd, a tripartite meeting was held to deliberate on the location for the 2026
international conference. We are delighted to announce formally during the Panama
conference's closing ceremony that Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected as the venue.
24th, I participated in an online seminar organized by Professor Ashenafi from Adis
Ababa University. The seminar focused on international social work and ourassociation's role, with active involvement from Abye Tasse and enthusiastic
participation from students.
26th, I attended a conference in Rome commemorating Maria Stefani's pivotal role inadvancing international activities in Italy, particularly through the establishment of asection within the Council International Fellowship. During my speech, I emphasized thesignificance of the international dimension of social work, tracing its evolution from theinaugural conference in Paris in 1998 to our ongoing endeavors, with a specific focus onIASSW.
February1st, a Zoom meeting was organized by Alexandra Mustafa with the new board of ABEPS,
the Brazilian Association of Educators and Researchers. Once again, we underscored theimportance of forging a robust collaboration between IASSW and Brazil, striving toengage the Brazilian community of schools and educators more deeply in ourassociation's activities.
Despite numerous initiatives facilitated by Alexandra, including my visits to Brasília andJuiz de Fora, as well as a board meeting in Pernambuco with a joint seminar, many online meetings, additional efforts are needed to formalize this partnership.
22nd, an online meeting was convened with representatives from Azerbaijan to explorepotential collaboration for advancing social work education in the country.
23rd, an online meeting was held with Marcel Jager, President of AIFRIS, the French
association of social work schools, to strategize on enhancing the membership ofFrench schools and to discuss the possible involvement in the organization of theupcoming conference in Paris in 2028 when will be celebrated 100 anniversary of ourinternational associations. Additionally, a French-language flyer was distributed to becirculated among the schools to invite them to become IASSW partners.
MarchAs always I’ve recorded a short speech for the World Social Work Day in different
languages:[WSWD 2024 English]https://youtu.be/Xh8EB2zY14Q– [WSWD 2024 French] https://youtu.be/nqe3RjbdNAY?si=j47ctajluBmJmZwV– [WSWD 2024 Italian]https://youtu.be/omUInxBbpe8?si=vsPniBwkVjR9KBAA– [WSWD 2024 Spanish] https://youtu.be/laaZC17DZO0?si=bL2E3r3o3B-xwM8m
11/12 I participated to the Katherine Kendall Spring Meeting, together with Barbara
Shank. Other IASSW members were present: Lynne Healey , Halaevalu F.O. Vakalahi,Shirley Fisher. The discussion was very interesting and productive. A strategic plan has
been defined, underlining some IASSW involvement in critical aspects

18th Recorded speech for the meeting of Panama schools organized by Kenia Batista inrelation to the Panama conference, to introduce the IASSW and extend an invitation formembership. A flyer in Spanish has also been provided.

19th Speech at the Celebration of Social Work Day at Thammasat University

20th Welcome speech at The 15th National conference and 7th Asia and the Pacificregional conference organized in Bangkok by the Ministry of Human Development andSocial Security together with the three international organisations IASSW-ICSW-IFSW
and the social work network partners in Thailand and in the Region.

21th Welcome speech at the The 15th Eurasia Forum of Social Workers (20/22 March2024) at The Learning and Training Center on Older Persons, Pattaya City, Chonburi
Province, Thailand and presentation of the key note on “Global social work education”

21st recorded welcome for the conference “Social work in a changing world:
education, research, policy and practice” organized by Bulgarian Association of socialwork education

Looking forward to our continued collaboration and progress in the coming months.
Respectfully submittedProf. Annamaria Campanini
President, International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)