THE GLOBAL AGENDA
FOR SOCIAL WORK AND

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENT TO ACTION

March 2012

OUR COMMITMENTS

As social workers, educators and social development practitioners, we witness the daily realities of personal,social and community challenges. We believe that now is our time to work together, at all levels, for change, for social
justice, and for the universal implementation of human rights, building on the wealth of social initiatives and social
movements. We, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the International Association of Schools ofSocial Work (IASSW), and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), recognise that the past and present
political, economic, cultural and social orders, shaped in specific contexts, have unequal consequences for global,
national and local communities and have negative impacts on people. Specifically, we recognise that:- the full range of human rights are available to only a minority of the world’s population;- unjust and poorly regulated economic systems, driven by unaccountable market forces, together with noncompliance with international standards for labour conditions and a lack of corporate social responsibility, havedamaged the health and wellbeing of peoples and communities, causing poverty and growing inequality1;- cultural diversity and the right to self-expression facilitate a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral andspiritual existence2, but these rights are in danger due to aspects of globalisation which standardise and marginalise
peoples, with especially damaging consequences for indigenous and first nation peoples3;- people live in communities and thrive in the context of supportive relationships, which are being eroded bydominant economic, political and social forces;- people’s health and wellbeing suffer as a result of inequalities and unsustainable environments related to climatechange, pollutants, war, natural disasters and violence to which there are inadequate international responses.
Consequently, we feel compelled to advocate for a new world order which makes a reality of respect for humanrights and dignity and a different structure of human relationships4.

Therefore:

We commit ourselves to supporting, influencing and enabling structures and systems that positively address the root

causes of oppression and inequality. We commit ourselves wholeheartedly and urgently to work together, with people
who use services and with others who share our objectives and aspirations, to create a more socially-just and fair worldthat we will be proud to leave to future generations.
We will prioritise our endeavours to these ends.
We intend during the period 2012-2016 to focus our efforts on the following areas:- Promoting social and economic equalities- Promoting the dignity and worth of peoples- Working toward environmental sustainability- Strengthening recognition of the importance of human relationships
The commitments are guided by and consistent with our core statements on the definition of social work5 and theethical principles of social work6.

1

OUR ORGANISATIONSThis Global Agenda is the product of a three year collaborative initiative undertaken by three internationalorganisations representing social work practice, social work education and social development. All three of theseinternational bodies were founded in 1928 and have held formal consultative status for many decades with the United
Nations Economic and Social Council and other UN and related agencies.
The International Federation of Social Workers is the global federation of national social work organisations in 90
countries representing over 750,000 social workers7.
The International Association of Schools of Social Work is an international community of schools and educators insocial work, promoting quality education, training and research in the theory and practice of social work, administrationof social services and formulation of social policies. IASSW speaks on behalf of 2,000 schools of social work and500,000 students8.
The International Council on Social Welfare is a global, non-governmental organisation which represents tens of
thousands of organisations around the world that are actively involved in programmes to promote social welfare, socialdevelopment and social justice9.
In preparing the Global Agenda, we have consulted extensively with social workers, social work educators and social
development practitioners. In 2010, at our joint conference in Hong Kong, the Global Agenda received overwhelming
support from approximately 3,000 delegates. Consultation has culminated in the following specific Commitments toAction.

OUR ROLE IN PROMOTING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUALITIESThe United Nations and other international agencies

We commit to support, influence and promote global initiatives aimed at achieving social and economic equality.

We will accomplish this by using and strengthening our established relationships with the UN system and otherinternational agencies. We will support the Millennium Development Goals. Our major focus is to prepare for thepost- 2015 development agenda10, which includes, for example, the social protection floor initiative11; decent work andinternational labour standards12; the WHO initiative on the social determinants of health13; and education for all14.
We will strive with others for a people-focused global economy that is regulated to protect and promote social
justice, human rights and sustainable development.

Communities and other partners

We will support and work in collaboration with others for the development of strong local communities that promote

the sustainable social wellbeing of all their members. Our major focus is to strengthen the capacity of communities tointeract with their governments to extend social and economic development.

Our own organisations

We will work within our own organisations to promote education and practice standards in social work and social

development that enable workers to facilitate sustainable social development outcomes.

2

OUR ROLE IN ENSURING THE DIGNITY AND WORTH OF THE PERSONThe United Nations and other international agencies

We seek universal implementation of the international conventions and other instruments on social, economic,

cultural and political rights for all peoples, including, among others, the rights of children15; older people16; women17;
persons with disabilities18 and indigenous peoples19, and the end to discrimination on the grounds of race and sexual
orientation20.
We will promote social strategies that build cohesive societies and remove the seeds of conflicts. We seek renewed
commitment to the peaceful prevention and resolution of conflict and adherence to international agreements which canreduce violence and its consequences21.
We will work with our partners to challenge violent state responses to actions by people in defence of their rights.
We will advocate for the right of people to move between and within countries and for the right of documented
and undocumented migrants to have access to social services.
We will support measures to reduce and eliminate human trafficking22.

Communities and other partners

We will support communities and organisations that are engaged in the prevention of violent conflict both between

and within countries.
We will support actions taken by partner organisations to enhance the rights of internal or trans-national migrants.
We will partner with international, regional and national entities to combat human trafficking.
We will partner with international, regional and national entities to promote respect for cultural identity.

Our own organisations

We will ask members of our three organisations to work together to ensure that legislation and practices do notprevent or limit the right to undertake legitimate, democratic social development activities.
We will promote respect for diversity and advocate for education and training programmes that prepare social work andsocial development practitioners for ethical and informed interventions23, for example in relation to gender, sexual orientationand culture.
We will work to promote education and practice standards that prepare social work and social development
practitioners to be effective in the areas of conflict management, human trafficking and responding to the consequencesof migration.

3

OUR ROLE IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE DEVELOPMENTThe United Nations and other international agencies

We commit to aligning our activities and programmes to development initiatives that are sustainable and which

integrate the human dimension. We will strengthen our established relationships with the UN and other international
agencies in order to reaffirm our support for initiatives aimed at protecting the natural environment. Our major focus
will be on the Rio +20 process24, World Urban Forum25 and the post-2015 development agenda, including attention todisaster prevention and management26.

Communities and other partners

We will promote community capacity building in responding to environmental challenges and human and natural disasters (e.g.

flooding, water degradation, food insecurity).

Our own organisations

We will promote within our own organisations, standards in education and practice that facilitate sustainable social

development outcomes, including the prevention, mitigation and response to disasters. We will encourage and facilitate
research into the social work role in relation to disasters and environmental challenges.

OUR ROLE IN PROMOTING WELLBEING THROUGH SUSTAINABLE
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPSThe United Nations and other international bodies

We commit to working with the UN and other international bodies to promote the importance of sustainable,interdependent communities to achieve social development and wellbeing. We will advocate for methodologies which
support community empowerment.

Target Group: Communities

We will work in collaboration with others to promote strong inclusive communities that enable all members toparticipate and belong. We will promote policies aimed at social integration and cohesion as a means for achieving theeconomic and social wellbeing of all persons, including older people and persons with disabilities, mental health needs
and/ or learning difficulties.

Our own organisations

We will promote within our own organisations the importance of reducing social isolation and building social

interaction through social relationships, embedding the principles of social cohesion, development and inclusion in any
published policies and standards relating to education and practice.

4

ENSURING AN APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENT FOR PRACTICE ANDEDUCATION

We will promote the development, dissemination and exchange of knowledge between all social professionals throughestablished and innovative channels of communication.
We will support the development of regional research centres for social work/development and encourage research
to identify work environments which promote positive outcomes in social work and social development.

CONCLUSION

The three organisations are firmly committed to the implementation of The Agenda Commitments in a planned

programme from 2012-2016, aiming to work alongside others who share these commitments. We will establish
an implementation plan with arrangements for monitoring and review. We will provide regular reports on theimplementation to the global community of social workers, social work educators and social development practitioners- and beyond.

6 January 2012
1

International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2008)
Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization

2

United Cities and Local Governments (2004) Agenda 21 for culture

3

UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)

4

Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development

5International Definition of Social Work (under review)

6

Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles

7

www.ifsw.org

8

www.iassw-aiets.org

9

www.icsw.org

10 UN General Assembly (2011) Accelerating progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals -Annual report of the Secretary-General
11	The term “social protection” is used to mean protection provided by social security systems in the case of social
risks and needs. Social protection is often interpreted as having a broader character than social security (including,in particular, protection provided between members of the family or members of a local community).
http://www.social-protection.org
12 ILO (2008) Decent work agenda‘Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities for work that isproductive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects
for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise andparticipate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women andmen.’ (See ILO (2008) Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization above.)513	World Health Organisation (WHO) (2008) Commission on Social Determinants of Health‘The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including
the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global,
national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. The social determinants of healthare mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within andbetween countries.’
14 UNESCO (2000)
Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments
15 United Nations (1989)
Convention on the Rights of the Child
16 Global Action on Aging (2009)
Toward a Human Rights Convention for Older Persons
17 United Nations (1979)
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
18 United Nations (2006)
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
19 United Nations (2007)
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
20 UN Human Rights Council (2011)
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity
21	For example United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (2011) Towards an Arms Trade Treaty and United
Nations (1997)
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on
their Destruction
22 United Nations (2003)
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing
the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime – see also http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/
human-trafficking/what is-human-trafficking.html
23 See for example IASSW/IFSW (2004)
Global Standards For The Education And Training Of The Social Work Profession
24 United Nations (2011)
Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) (Rio +20)
25 United Nations (2011)
World Urban Forum 6
26 For example United Nations DESA (2011)
Settlement Planning: UN-HABITAT in disaster and conflict contexts and Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

6