APASWE General Body Meeting’s minutes
Date and Time: Thursday, 28th September 4:30 – 6:00pm
Venue: Coli Hotel, Shenzhen, PRC
Attendees: 30 APASWE members including the executive board members. Dr.
Fentiny Nugroho, APASWE President chaired the meeting
Agenda:(1) President’s Report (Document is circulated for the meeting)(2) Secretary’s Report
Membership
According to the Treasurer’s list of membership record as of 4 August 2017, themembership can be classified into 349 institutional members and 51 individualmembers. Out of this total number, 184 (26 institutional members and 158individuals) are on the grace period for their membership while the membership of173 (89 institutional members and 84 individual members) members were expired.
2017 World Social Work Day
APASWE has been requested to be a co-sponsor to Thailand’s Ministry of Social
Development and Human Security to organize 2017 World Social Work Day at UN
Regional Office in Bangkok. The event has been organized on 27th April 2017.
Along with this one day event, there were exhibitions on the promoting ofcommunity resilience and self –sufficiency on environments and energy, and on thecommunity service centers by the organizing agencies as the side events for theWorld Social Work Day at Bangkok UN Conference Center. Two key note address
follow the opening ceremony delivered by Dr. Nagesh Kumar, UNESCAP’ Director,
on “Leaving no one behind: Sustainable Development Goals and Inclusive Social
Development in Asia and the Pacific” and Professor Mariko Kimura, President ofInternational Federation of Social Workers-Asia Pacific (IFSW-AP) on “Global
Social Workers and Educators.” These key note address led to 2 panel discussions
where Dr. Fentiny Nugroho, President of Asian and Pacific Association for Social
Work Education (APASWE) has been invited as a discussant for the first panel. Theevent has been participated by 365 of local social workers, social work educatorsand social work students from both government and non-government sectors as wellas the international participants from the UN system agencies and the representatives
from the embassies of some Asia and Pacific countries. The event is expected to run
annually similar to the events organized at UN Offices at both New York and Geneva.
ASEAN Social Work Consortium
Secretary has been assigned to report the ongoing activities of Association ofSouth East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Social Work Consortium. The purposes ofASEAN Social Work Consortium are; to strengthen solidarity among social work
educators, practitioners, and schools of social work in the ASEAN member states,
to promote and institutionalized effective collaboration towards the achievement ofresponsive and excellent social work education in the ASEAN region, and toenhance and develop social work education and practice relevant to the regions.
The ASEAN Social Work Consortium has organized an annual Conference since
its inception in 2011 when the Philippines hosted the First Conference. TheASEAN Social Work Consortium’s work plan has been created in order toimprove the standard of social work education and practice as well as to strengthen
collaborations among the social work educators and practitioners within theASEAN member states. The 6th ASEAN Social Work Consortium Conference(ASWC) had been held during 25th -29th July 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia where theConference has been handed over to Malaysia to be the host country for the next
two ASWC during 2018-2019. The ASEAN Social Work Consortium’s work plan
has been created in order to improve the standard of social work education andpractice as well as to strengthen collaborations among the social work educatorsand practitioners within the ASEAN member states.
Social Work Program Development in Myanmar
APASWE Secretary has pursued the progressiveness of the project onstrengthening an existing social work education and possible of establishing social
work program in Myanmar through the supports of the ASEAN members. In 2016
the representatives of; Thailand Ministry of Social Development and Human
Security on behalf of ASEAN Social Work Consortium, Thai Association of Social
Work and Social Welfare Education, Thailand Association of Social Workers, andThailand’s Council of Social Work Profession have attended the meeting to discuss
the possibility to support in developing an existing Myanmar Department of Social
Welfare’s Graduate Diploma in Social Work Program to be a full social work
degree program as requested by Myanmar’s Department of Social Welfare and themeeting agreed to form a working group on the project to support in strengtheningsocial work education in Myanmar. The working group is expected to meet with
Myanmar’s concerned officials in Bangkok soon to discuss the further details onthe project. It is likely that the project will be the collaboration of all concerned
parties including; ASEAN Social Work Consortium, APASWE, Myanmar
Ministry of Education, Myanmar Department of Social Welfare, Yangon
University, Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University, the social
service agencies and the social work educators and practitioners both in public aswell as private and international service organizations such as UNICEF and Save
the Children who are now providing services in Myanmar and in the region. In
August 2017 a group of 15 Myanmar educators and practitioners have attended anintensive capacity building workshop in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop has coorganized by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security andThammasat University. The attendees of this workshop are expected to support anew post graduate diploma program in social work at Yangon University in thenext academic year and the program is expected to upgrade into BSW program in2019.
(3) Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer’s report has been prepared by the Treasurer and circulated forconsideration and the meeting has adopted the Treasurer’s report.
(4) Result announcement of APASWE Election 2017
The result of the APASWE 2017 election has been announced by MarkHenrickson, Chair of the nominating committee.
(5) Bidding the next Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2019 site
Three bidders for 2019 Regional Conference; Australia, India, and Sri Lanka havesent their applications to APASWE and IFSW-AP for the 2019 Joint RegionalConference. IFSW-AP has expressed its interest in India as the site for 2019
regional Conference while APASWE has decided on Australia as the most
readiness for organizing the Conference.
Both IFSW-AP and APASWE agreed to arrange a meeting to discuss on the issue
again during this Conference. APASWE’s selection committee members has metwith IFSW-AP representatives and expect to announce the result of the bidding at
the Conference’s closing session.

(6) Presentation of tokens and certificates of appreciation(7) Discussions and approval
The meeting adjourned at 6:00pm