INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF
SOCIAL WORKERS ASIA PACIFIC REGION(IFSW-AP)

NEWSLETTERISSUE 1, JUNE 2023

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERSASIA PACIFIC REGION (IFSW-AP)
NEWSLETTERISSUE 1, JUNE 2023
This issue includes:
Editorial
News from round-about• Message from the Pesident• Message from the Vice Pesident’s Desk
• IFSW-AP Introduction• IFSW Asia Paci�ic Publication Team• Diversity and Climate Action• World Social Work Day 2023
• Event in Iran Report• Summary of the World Social Work Day in Thailand• Japanese Federation of Social Workers• The National Alliance of Professional Social Workers of Kazakhstan• Upcoming Conference in 2023

1

Machiko OHARA, Ph.D.

Message from the Pesident
President of the International Federation ofSocial Workers Asia Paci�ic Region
As President of the International Federationof Social Workers Asia Paci�ic Region (IFSW-AP), it is
my sincere pleasure to publish this newsletter. The
IFSW Asia Paci�ic Region is currently comprised of 31
members, with many national/regional associations
as our members. I am delighted that two new countries,
Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, have joined us this year.
We in the Asia-Paci�ic Region have developed
over the past quarter of a century to become a driving
force in the world economy. We also expected to play
an increasingly larger role globally by contributing
more and more to the international community.
Nevertheless, our region faces many transborder andglobal-scale problems that cannot be solved within theframework of individual nation-states. These include
poverty, environmental problems, infectious diseases,
educational disparities, immigrant and/or refugee
issues, as well as con�licts.
Recognizing this situation, social workers in
the Asia-Paci�ic need to embrace the diversity andpotential of our region, including the various challenges
that the world faces. There is a strong understandingof the need for social workers in the Asia-Paci�ic region
to work together beyond national boundaries and tosolve these challenges. In addition, the world as a whole
has been engaged in establishing and advancing the
global governance framework of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) to solve such challenges.
To this end, the International Federation ofSocial Workers Asia-Paci�ic Region would like to join
forces with all of you, our members, to accomplish thefollowing two goals.
First , IFSW-AP hopes to continue
strengthening networks and partnerships with ourmember social worker organizations; thereby
improving communication and promoting mutually
supportive relationships on both sides. I am con�ident
that this will contribute to the development of ourregion, as well as social work worldwide, throughcollaboration between social work practitioners, social
work educators, and researchers across the region andthe globe.
Second, I wish that social workers in our
region will further unite to foster social worker
resilience. I believe that, by doing so, we can contributeto building better and more effective social work
strategies to improve the quality of life of people in the
Asia-Paci�ic and around the world.
I truly hope that publishing this newsletter
will give you the opportunity to learn about social workin our member countries/regions and the activities ofour colleagues throughout the region, and that it will
be a tool to connect social workers in the Asia-Paci�ic
Region as one.

2

Message fromthe Vice Pesident’s Desk
It gives me an immense pleasure to
write a few lines to the Newsletter of IFSW-AP
being published with Dr Nattapat Sarobol,
who are taking over as the Head of the
Publication Committee.
Asia Paci�ic is a very large and highly
diverse region in the world in terms of people,
religion, beliefs, race, cultural practices, foodpreferences, governance and climate. It
includes the most populous countries of theworld such as India and the People’s Republicof China, to very small countries such as
Brunei, Maldives, and Singapore. Social work
profession is highly recognized in some of thedeveloped countries such as Japan, Australia,
New Zealand, and South Korea. It has also
made signi�icant presence in countries such
as India, Phillipines, the People’s Republic ofChina, and Iran through quality and standard
Social Work Education. In some countries, it
is in a nascent stage.
IFSW-AP , for over a decade, has beenable to work with many national social work
associations and facilitate them to be a partof IFSW. Presently, there are more than 30
members in the region. The former Presidents
of IFSW-AP, Prof Mariko Kimura and Ms Rose
Henderson have worked intensely to build the
IFSW movement in the region. Also, thecurrent President, Prof. Machiko Ohara, hasbeen putting all efforts to further strengthen
the organization through her dynamic andinspiring leadership.
Social work profession needs to befurther strengthened to make it more visible
and strong in many countries so that it canplay a signi�icant role in in�luencing pro
people social policies and programs. This also
involves learning from innovative policies andprograms that are implemented in different
parts of the region. I am hopeful and con�ident
that this newsletter gives an opportunity forboth sharing & learning.

Sriganesh M V
Regional Vice President
IFSW-AP“Social work profession
needs to be further
strengthened to make it
more visible and strong inmany countries, so that it
can play a signi�icant rolein in�luencing pro peoplesocial policies andprograms.

“
3

IFSW-AP
Introduction
Background and Characteristics
of Asia-Paci�ic Social Work andOrganizational Structureof the Region
The Asia-Paci�ic is geographically thelargest and culturally the most diverse amongthe �ive regions of the International Federationof Social Workers (IFSW). We are proud of
this diversity with 31 regional members,
representing 41 professional associations.
Our westernmost and easternmost members
are Palestine and Fiji, respectively. Meanwhile,
our northernmost member is Kazakhstan,with Aotearoa New Zealand as oursouthernmost. This represents a signi�icant
area encompassing many-many cultures. For
example, this diversity is well demonstrated
by the fact that major world religions such as
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam
have their roots in our region.
The immense diversity of our regionis shown not only by its geographical vastness,but also by the Asia-Paci�ic Regional
Ampli�ication of the Global De�inition of theSocial Work Profession. We have worded andadopted this document in 2016 together with
the Asian and Paci�ic Association for Social
Work Education (APASWE). In addition to thealready mentioned cultural and religious
diversity, it also points out economic diversity(in terms of developmental levels) andpolitical diversity (in terms of ideology andsystems of government), as well as thecelebration of this diversity necessary forpeace. Regarding religion, it particularly statesthat social work in the region has an emphasis
on recognizing the importance of faith andspirituality.
According to the evidence from the
Global De�inition’s Regional Ampli�ication, thefact is that the Asia-Paci�ic has a lot to offer interms of indigenous and eco-social
approaches to social work. It shows that since

Viktor Virag,Regional Treasurer

The Asia-Paci�ic Region on the IFSW Website

4the region has been shaped by bothindigenous and colonizing histories,
Asia-Paci�ic social work also emphasizes theaf�irmation of indigenous and local
knowledges and practices. Furthermore, theampli�ication encourages sustainable social
work to preserve our environment. It is inview of that the region has been severely
impacted by natural or man-made disasters
and other environmental issues such as
climate change. On the other hand, people in
the region have also demonstrated strengthand resilience by overcoming these again andagain.
The regional team shows our diversity
too. IFSW-AP is led by Regional President
Machiko Ohara. She is based in Japan andserves as the Vice President of the Japanese
Association of Social Workers in HealthServices (JASWHS) and the Chair of theInternational Committee at the Japanese

Machiko Ohara, Japan
Regional President

Our regional IFSW logo
Federation of Social Workers (JFSW). The
Regional President is aided by our ReginalVice-President, Sriganesh MV. He is also theSecretary General of the India Network ofProfessional Social Workers’ Associations(INPSWA). The Regional Executive Committee
includes our Honorary Secretary, Amran Jamil(Singapore), and Viktor Virag (Japan) actingas Treasurer for the region. We have a
Publication Committee too, responsible forthis newsletter and headed by Nattapat
Sarobol from Thailand.

Sriganesh MV, India
Regional Vice-President

Viktor Virag, Japan
Regional Treasurer

Amran Jamil, Singapore
Honorary Secretary

Our Regional Executive Committee on the IFSW Website
In addition to the Executive
Committee, we have Regional Representatives
on each of IFSW’s �ive global commissions. A
Regional Commissioner leads the team ofRegional Representatives for every
commission. Our Regional Commissioner for
the Education Commission is Mariko Kimura( Japan). The Asia-Paci�ic Regional
Commissioner on the Ethics Commission is
Hassan Mousavi Chelak from Iran. Reaed
Amira (Palestine) serves as the Human Rights

Commission’s Regional Commissioner for us.
Regarding the Indigenous Commission, Carole
Tana-Tepania is ful�illing the role of our
Regional Commissioner from Aotearoa New
Zealand. Finally, the United Nations
Commission’s Asia-Paci�ic Regional
Commissioner is Sebastian Cordoba(Australia). We are planning to haveintroductions and reports from the regional
members of these global commissions inupcoming newsletters.

5

IFSW Asia Paci�ic Publication TeamOn behalf of the Publication Team, I would like toinform all members that, with the vision of Professional
Machiko OHARA as the President of IFSW Asia Paci�ic
and board members, there is a great desire to establish
a channel for gathering information and disseminatingnews to member organizations to exhibit the great effort
of each country in driving social works for social
mobilization and the awareness on social issues invarious dimensions that social workers need to play arole and participate in solving problems.
The communication also helps create a strong
network coordination that re�lects the continuous workand demonstrates the power of the members in the
Asia-Paci�ic region.
Due to this, the IFSW-AP President and thecommittee has established the Publication Team led byrepresentatives of Thailand and Singapore, to create ateam to work for corporate communications.
The main objective of this function is todisseminate information, operation, and activities of theworking groups and members in the Asia-Paci�ic region.
The recipient target group is IFSW-AP members,
members of countries groups, professional social
workers, and related professionals. The channels include
Facebook, Website, E-mail, and Line application.

Nattapat Sarobol
Publication Leader
Publication Secretaries
Daranee Narudomphong (Thailand)
Vasudeva Sharma (India)
Saowatarn Phoglad (Thailand)
Nattapat Sarobol (Thailand)Contact Email:nattjcsw@gmail.com

This newsletter is the �irst fortnightly newsletter of the year 2023 for the month of June.
And the second-fortnight publication will be published in December 2023,
two issues released per year.

Regarding this, the Publication Teamwould like to publicize and invite all members
and member countries who are interested, tosend your organization’s operation information,such as annual activities, occasional activities,
or special events; articles or columns that drive
the work or operational issues of theorganization; academic conference report, or
any news that you require to publish, in theform of Microsoft Word with no longer than
300-500 words, along with photos to<nattjcsw@gmail.com>.
The Publication Team strongly hopes toreceive the interest from members to jointly
create a space for creative communication andbene�it the development of our profession
together.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback,you’re welcome to send a message to <nattjcsw@gmail.com>.

6

Diversity andClimate Action
International Federation ofSocial Workers United Nations
Commission
The World Social Work Day theme thisyear comes at a pivotal time for the region andthe planet. As we continue to see the ongoing
impacts of Covid-19, inequality and climatechange, the theme recognises that collective
issues require collective action. The theme,“Respecting Diversity through Joint Social
Action”, represents many of the core ethicalvalues of the social work profession andidenti�ies what have been some of the barriers
towards meaningful reforms in the region. For
social work, diversity is central to all social
action given no single group or profession
having the solutions to all major issues. It
recognises that the crises we face are in partdue to systems of inequality that favour andhear the voices of a select group of people, atthe expense of individuals, communities andplanet.
As part of the Global Agenda for Social
Work and Social Development, the theme isalso a reminder for all social workers of theimportance of celebrating diversity. As apotentially normative profession entrenching
the status-quo, social work has sometimes
had a complex history with ideas arounddiversity. While there has been continued
progress in how social workers understandDr. Pushkar Sebastian Cordoba,
Regional Commissioner

key social issues, the theme serves as areminder that this must be an ongoing processof learning, re�lection and development. As
social work continues to become a moreglobal profession, it is also a recognition thatno single region should be able to de�ine theprofession and how much we all bene�it frominternational cooperation and diverse
perspectives.
My work as part of the IFSW United
Nations commission has provided me a deep
appreciation of the immense contribution thatdiversity brings to any situation. While unitedin our commitment to social justice andhuman rights, as social workers from all over
the world we each bring unique experiencesand voices that greatly assist our UN advocacy
efforts. The UN in many ways captures thecomplexity of modern social action given thatfor an institution built on partnership,
diversity and collaboration; we do not tend
to see a lot of that in practice. This is best
exempli�ied by the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals and the limited progressin meeting the 2030 targets. As a framework,
it is a practical representation of social workvalues that recognise the inherent
interconnectedness of all social andenvironmental issues, and that sustainablesocial transformation needs to be structuraland collaborative. In practice, it can be a
deeply top-down structure with UN member
states themselves being the biggest barriers
to achieving the UN agenda.
7

“

�irst-hand and working with communities in
response to the effects, especially in the Asia
Paci�ic region. Government solutions to theclimate crisis so far are rooted in systems andthinking that are built on societal andenvironmental exploitation and inequality.
Social work has a proud legacy of social action,
and we are needed now more than ever tohold governments to account to stop
greenwashing and commit to clear targets.
Diversity of voices is also central to climate
action as it must prioritise listening to andworking with Indigenous peoples all over theworld who have lived sustainably with theplanet for over thousands of years.
As embedded in our ethical principles,social workers understand the need fordiversity, inclusion and partnership and in
this regard the UN and member states have agreat deal to learn from our profession. The
magnitude of the crises we face can only be
addressed if we collectively centre diversity
as a core tenet of all social action. Not only
diversity is an appreciation of the numerous
ways the current crises impact groups but
also that solutions and reforms can only besustainable if people are active participants
and that their voices are heard. As social
workers, it is a reminder that we are key
partners in this global action and we must
continue to be committed to working with
communities at all levels as agents of change.

As social workers, it is areminder that we are key
partners in this global
action and we must
continue to be committed
to working with
communities at all levels as
agents of change.

“

The challenges we face are best
captured by the climate crisis. Every month
there is a new report highlighting the urgencyof the situation, yet we see limited reform andlargely unaccountable commitments frommember states. It is also a stark reminder ofthe social justice dimensions of global
warming as the lowest polluters continue toexperience the most signi�icant impacts. Social
workers are seeing the consequences8WorldSocial Work Day 2023
• Translating of the world social work day
poster to Persian/Farsi and widely
disseminating it virtually and printing it on
big banners.

Event in Iran Report
Iran Association of Social Workers has
several different activities for theworld social work day every year.
This year, there were also several
activities as follows:• Holding the world social work day event inperson in the venue of “national humanity
house of thinkers” with participation of
professors, pioneers, students, associations
volunteers and members. In this event, thosefamilies who lost a family member last year
were tributed.

• Holding the 5 th International and 37 th
National Social Work Conference in the themeof “Social work and Social Diversity” withparticipation of IFSW Secretary General,
Dr.Machiko Ohara, IFSW-AP President,
President of IASSW, Executive Director of
ICSW, IFSW UN Commissionaire, professors
and practitioners from 17 countries and 70
ministries, NGOs and GOs, universities. Some
presenters were Dr. Lawrence Shulman, Dr.
Sarah Banks, Dr. Stephen Merson, Dr. Ian
Milligan, Dr. Edward Kruk, Dr. Linda Briskman,
Dr. Morley D. Gilicken, Dr. Vishanthie Sewpaul,
Dr. Antonino Lopez Plaez, Rose Henderson,
Presidents of National Social Work
Associations of Italy, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan,
Armenia, etc.
• Awarding the 12th National Social Health
Medal to Dr. Lawrence Shulman.

• Doing several media interviews todisseminate the world social work day theme.
• Holding several celebrations for the worldsocial work day in different provinces andcooperating for celebrations in different
ministries including Ministry of Oil, Ministryof Health, Ministry of Science, Research andTechnology etc.

9

• Holding a gathering with the association’s
volunteers.

Summary of the World Social Work Day 2023 in Thailand
as well as interested persons totally 1,899
persons. The Conference was presided overby H.E. Mr. Chuti Krairiksh, Minister of Social
Development and Human Security. In his
opening remarks, he highlighted the social
work de�inition as the profession that
promotes social change and development,social cohesion, and the empowerment andliberation of people. He also emphasized the
crucial role that social workers and social
work practitioners play in improving people'squality of life and fostering social
development. The Conference included events
such as keynote addresses and panel
discussions on social work and social diversity
by representatives of social workorganizations and institutions at the nationaland regional levels.

“

Social workers play a crucial role in promoting peacefulcoexistence and creating social justice since they work closelywith people at the community level by advocating for and solving
their problems and their work has also eliminated all forms of
discrimination to ensure that no one is left behind.
A keynote address on the topic “UN's Roles in Promoting Coexistence inDiverse Communities” delivered by H.E. Mrs. Gita Sabharwal, the United
Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand

10“

On 21 March 2023, the Ministry ofSocial Development and Human Security
through the Department of Social
Development and Welfare hosted a virtual
academic conference on social work and social
welfare to celebrate the World Social WorkDay 2023. This was the fourteenth time in
Thailand and the sixth time for the Asia andthe Paci�ic Region, with the theme “Respecting
Diversity through Joint Social Action” via
Zoom Cloud Meeting platform and Facebook
Live of the Department of Social Development
and Welfare. The Conference was attended byexecutives from the Ministry of Social
Development and Human Security and theDepartment of Social Development andWelfare, social workers and social work
practitioners from the public and private
sectors, academics and social work educators

Japanese Federation of Social Workers
Japanese Federation of Social Workers(JFSW) has been dealing with themes
regarding immigrants, refugees, and cultural
diversity each of the last couple years whencelebrating World Social Work Day. For thisyear’s theme, the committee decided to holda symposium about social work with
Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons on
March 12th, 2023.
It is well known that Japan has had
many issues regarding refugees; however,there is little social concern amongst thegeneral population due to the small numberof refugees present in Japan and a dearth ofsocial workers familiar with refugees,
immigrants, or displaced person. In responseto this situation, the JFSW’s international
committee decided to hold this symposium
so many social workers could hear some
practical stories from actual social workers
in Ukraine and Europe, helping to reify theissue as a matter of concern.
Over 400 peoples from 46 countries
registered for the symposium. Yana
Melnychuk, Ana Radulescu, and Herbert
Paulischin, social workers currently working
in Ukraine, talked about the current situationon the ground, programs provided at social
support centers, and how to support local
people from Europe. During the symposium,
Yana and Ana lost their internet connection
and we heard the evacuation sirens, which
impacted the attendees and emphasized thereality of their daily life during this dif�icult
time. Participants also mentioned in feedback
that they learned the differences between
humanitarian aid and social work, as
p re s e n te d by Ro r y Tr u e l l , t h e
Secretary-General of the International
Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).
We also provided video materials inJapanese, made by researchers, practitioners,
and refugees themselves to help others learn
general information about refugees. These
videos will be made available for a full year
to reach as many social workers as we canand help them to learn more about thisunderserved community.
Due to the changes in the social
situation in the World and Japan, it isnecessary to consider issues related to
refugees and immigrants, and it is expectedthat the intervention of us social workers willbe essential. We are con�ident that this
symposium provided the participants withmany opportunities for learning andrealization, and we will to keep working forand learning about refugees to make oursociety more sustainable and diverse together.
11

The National Alliance of Professional
Social Workers of Kazakhstan
The National Alliance of Professional Social Workers of Kazakhstan is a nationwide
public association of social workers with branch of�ices in twelve regions of Kazakhstan. It wasestablished on April 8, 2019, by social work professionals and academicians of the Eurasian
National University named after L.N. Gumilyov. The organization is led by Ms. Dinara Yessimova,
PhD Social work, Professor of the Eurasian National University named after L.N. Gumilyov,
Master trainer of the Early childhood program at UNICEF Kazakhstan.
The organization represents interests of professional social workers in the system ofsocial protection, healthcare, education, and internal affairs. Our organization pays great
attention to the professionalization of social work and the development of specialization insocial work for various �ields:• We have trained more than 200 social workers
and psychologists of the Primary Healthcare incase management techniques to proactively
identify families in need, to ensure earlychildhood protection.
• Our specialists participated in a mission toassess the psycho-social support of children andadolescents living with HIV to formulate
recommendations on psycho-social support tostakeholders and decision-makers in ensuring
the right of children and adolescents to equal
access to health care, education, social
protection.
• We develop street social work with homelesspeople and people with addictive behavior.

• Since 2021, we have also been working on the
topic of inclusive community development
within the project with Caritas Tajikistan,putting into practice the principles of "Nothing
about us without us" and the SDG goal "No one
should be left behind".
• In 2022 we established the “Association of
Schools of Social Work” to further strengthen
the support of universities and colleges
education in social work.

• We hold Winter and Summer schools on social
work for university teachers and social workcolleges and practitioners with the aim of
professionalizing social work.
12

Upcoming Conference in 2023“

A TIME TO COME TOGETHER ONCE MORE:
AN INVITATION TO THE 27TH ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONALCONFERENCE 2023“

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Halfway
Point: Social Work’s Contribution to Social Development

Three years since the Covid 19 Pandemic
stopped the world in its tracks, economies fell andgatherings banned; the world has now slowly but surely
began recovering. Travel has once again peaked and theneed to come together is in demand.
This year, the International Federation of Social
Workers (IFSW)/Asia Paci�ic (AP) in partnership withAPASWE and the Philippine Association of Social
Workers, Inc. (PASWI) will hold the 27th Asia-Paci�ic
Regional Conference in the beautiful Queen City of theSouth, Cebu, Philippines. Slated in November 5-7, thisconference promises to be the convergence of social
workers from Asia, the Americas, Europe and thePhilippines coming together as colleagues of one
profession as well as brothers and sisters of common
visions.
With the theme, “The Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) Halfway Point: Social
Work’s Contribution to Social Development”, there
will also be attendees from the United Nations Country
Team (UNCT), United Nations Of�ice on Drugs and Crime(UNODC), United Nations International Children's
Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization(WHO) and the United Nations Educational, Scienti�ic
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as
dignitaries and experts, both foreign and national.
This year’s theme is based on the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) also known as the Global
Goals adopted by all member states of the United
Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end
poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030 all
people enjoy peace and prosperity. Moreover, “the 17
SDGs are integrated – recognizing that action in one area
will affect outcomes in others, and that development
must balance social, economic and environmental
sustainability.”
The three-day Conference broadly aims to focus
on the critical role and signi�icant contributions of social
workers in the Asia Paci�ic region towards theachievement of the SDGs. It also promises to bejampacked with discussions focusing the topics related
thereto, while highlighting country experiences andchallenges experienced in their pursuit.
As a result, the Conference will serve as aplatform for social workers and allied professional toshare their perspectives and experiences on the rolesand contributions of social work in achieving the SDGs;
the possibilities, opportunities and challenges faced bysocial workers in working towards achieving SDGs andspeci�ic areas of strength or weakness of the social work
profession as it continually seeks to contribute to theachievement of these goals.
Each SDG shall have subthemes and subtopics
in order to delve more deeply and into the subject. An
example of this is Social Work and Zero Poverty and
Hunger which in turn can be juxtaposed with
Assessing the Effectiveness of Poverty
Reduction Strategies, Emerging Roles of Social Work in
Promoting Food Security and discussions on Systems
Perspective on Poverty Causes.
At the forefront of these discussions, plenary
sessions and workshops are professionals in their �ieldof expertise who have been meticulously chosen in orderto ensure that the participants will glean the mostlessons despite the short amount of time.
All these while in the midst of a bustlingcommercial and tourist hub in the City of Cebu, dubbed
as the Philippines’ Queen City of the South. The venue
is the Waterfront Hotel, grandly situated in this gem ofa City and accessible to many of its tourist destinations
as well as its shopping and gastronomic delights.
Participants can expect a truly memorable experiencethat is �illed with lessons while enjoying what the City
has to offer.
The time has come to once again strengthenties, forge new friendships, build bridges, mitigate thechallenge of distance and learn from each other as we
strive to continuously be a driving force in the serviceof humanity.

13Please note that the bidding to host the 2025 Regional Conference will startsoon. Kindly wait for the announcement from the President's Of�ice.