Summary

Advocating at the United Nations (UN) is a daunting task for many social workers. The UN is so extensive, its system of agencies and relationships is complex and overlaid by politics, and there is no clear entry point for affecting change at the UN. However, as more of the social issues social workers confront in their local practices have global roots and international implications, it becomes imperative that social workers seeking justice learn how to shape policies and decisions made at the UN.  IASSW and its sister organizations, IFSW and ICSW, have consultative status at the UN and regularly advocate on issues important to social work. One of the ways that IASSW has engaged in UN deliberations is through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs reach their midpoint in 2023 and to the disappointment of many, will not achieve the expected progress due to the COVID pandemic and other challenges. The pandemic added 75 million more people to those living in extreme poverty. Since 2020, the richest one-percent have captured almost two-thirds of all new wealth.This symposium tackles the possibilities available to social workers to accelerate progress toward the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. Collectively, this symposium will present an overview of IASSW’s involvement at the UN historically and in the present using ongoing examples of IASSW representatives to UN experiences advocating for more humane migration experiences including mental health supports, child protection during humanitarian crises, and opportunities for social workers to engage in antipoverty efforts – the highlighted SDG for 2024.  An interactive experience will tie participants' experiences in local advocacy, community building, and inequality to the SDGs. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

United Nations, advocacy, Sustainable Development Goals, global social work, migrants, humanitarian crises, child protection

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Fighting Poverty through the UNThe UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF) is the central United Nations platform for the review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. Each year several of the SDGs are selected as the theme to review progress across all countries. In addition, a cohort of nations are selected for voluntary national reviews (VNRs). VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences and lessons learned, as well as to strengthen the policies and institutions of governments, and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support for the SDGs.  In 2024, the theme of the HLPF  will be “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises.”  As a result of the COVID pandemic, the war in the Ukraine, and disasters, more than four years of progress against extreme poverty was erased and nearly 700 million people are living in extreme poverty globally. Efforts to fight poverty are critical to social work. The presentation will demonstrate ways in which social workers can get involved in influencing knowledge and advocacy efforts at the UN on this topic by directly participating in proceedings, working with NGOs and UN Major Groups or Commissions, working within their own countries, nationally or locally, and lobbying other member countries. While annual HLPF meetings take place at the UN, typically in July, months of preparation go into these meetings, and there are many opportunities for advocacy.  The presentation will highlight how local experiences affect global advocacy strategy through an interactive exercise. The 2024 HLPF will also review the effectiveness of the current UN process in achieving the SDGs. This is an opportunity for social workers to affect changes in the process to increase the participation of those whose voices are often not heard.

Summary

The UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF) is the central United Nations platform for the review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. Each year several of the SDGs are selected as the theme to review progress across all countries. In addition, a cohort of nations are selected for voluntary national reviews (VNRs). VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences and lessons learned, as well as to strengthen the policies and institutions of governments, and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support for the SDGs.  In 2024, the theme of the HLPF  will be “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises.”  As a result of the COVID pandemic, the war in the Ukraine, and disasters, more than four years of progress against extreme poverty was erased and nearly 700 million people are living in extreme poverty globally. Efforts to fight poverty are critical to social work.The presentation will demonstrate ways in which social workers can get involved in influencing knowledge and advocacy efforts at the UN on this topic by directly participating in proceedings, working with NGOs and UN Major Groups or Commissions, working within their own countries, nationally or locally, and lobbying other member countries. While annual HLPF meetings take place at the UN, typically in July, months of preparation go into these meetings, and there are many opportunities for advocacy.  The presentation will highlight how local experiences affect global advocacy strategy through an interactive exercise. The 2024 HLPF will also review the effectiveness of the current UN process in achieving the SDGs. This is an opportunity for social workers to affect changes in the process to increase participation of those whose voices are often not heard.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Sustainable Development Goals, antipoverty, United Nations

Summary

The social work profession has a long history of advocacy at the United Nations (UN). The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) gained consultative status as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in 1947, one of the earliest NGOs to do so. Since then, representatives have worked in New York and Geneva to advocate for social work values in areas where professional priorities and UN priorities mesh. Consultative status allows organizations access to UN meetings and ability to issue statements and organize workshops at major UN commission sessions. There are also opportunities to meet with government missions in New York and Geneva to advocate for policy positions.             This paper will provide an overview of the history of the profession’s involvement at the UN. It will then discuss IASSW advocacy efforts on the adoption and implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG10) from 2014 to the present to illustrate effective use of consultative status. SDG10 is “to reduce inequality within and among countries.” This is perhaps the most important goal for social work as the gap between rich and poor in most nations and growing episodes of bias and hate crimes have increased dramatically in the early 21st century and increased further in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. SDG10’s broad view of inequality encompasses all forms of discrimination and unequal life chances in addition to poverty. From negotiations leading to adoption through implementation to date, IASSW has worked in coalitions with diverse NGOs to argue for inclusion of SDG10 in the final 2030 agenda, to conduct research on progress, and to use this research for mission advocacy and special workshops at meetings of the Commission for Social Development.  The paper concludes with recommendations for improved social work impact, especially as the UN prepares for a 2025 World Social Summit. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

United Nations, IASSW, consultative status, SDG10, inequality, advocacy

Summary

IASSW has active representatives’ faculty and students to the NGO committee on Migration.  This committee has a consultative relationship with the United Nations.  Target 10.7 of the SDGs focuses on the facilitation of the orderly, safe regular and responsible migration and mobility of people including the implementation of planning and well-managed polices. An important avenue for global advocacy to ensure justice.  This presentation will highlight some of the initiatives, advocacy efforts, engagement and policy statements made to address the rights of migrants.  For example, in response to the Global Compact for Migration (2016), the UN global agreement on a common approach to international migration, the NGO committee developed polices and practices to ensure that the Compact has practical and concrete suggestions for migration governance that can be implemented by social workers, practitioners and students advance safety, justice, and engage in anti-poverty efforts. This presentation will facilitate a discussion on the discourse on migration, economic, social development, and justice/human rights. Content will highlight who migrants are, why they move, and what they contribute to their communities, upholds the dignity and identities of migrants, strengthens social cohesion, and works to eliminate xenophobia and discrimination against people on the move. Awareness of the use of negative language and images used have real impacts on migrants and their families.  Race and ethnicity, and the systemic link between migration and racial injustice, are central to the human rights and non-discrimination principles of the Global Compact for Migration.Finally, this presentation will share an innovative initiative that is collecting positive migrant stories.  The goal of this project is to share, inspire and collect stories of migrants and their contributions to their new local communities.  iTAC (It takes a community), a social media campaign of the Civil Society Mechanism of the Global Forum on Migration and Development. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Global advocacy, Global Compact for Migration, advocacy initiatives, advocacy efforts, engagement and policy statements

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#0327: Engaging social workers in global advocacy at the UN for justice. 

Summary

When disaster strikes, the social work community is often called in to support psychological and social wellbeing. In recent years there has be an emphasis on the need to recognize suffering and to make space for mourning in order to heal. We may be pressured to work quickly, as the suffering before us can be easily seen. We may also be members of the affected communities ourselves. \ We may find ourselves ignoring those who have been marginalized prior to the emergency, As a result, we may find ourselves basing our assessments more on lacks and suffering, than on strengths and ignoring community aspirations as we focus on loss. This talk will describe and give examples of a methodology that focuses on community ideas of and aspirations for psychological and social well-being,\ One way to address these issues and still provide inclusive, psychosocial support and insure accountability to affected communities is the SEE_PET. The SEE-PET is a published, participatory method that enables the design, monitoring, and evaluation of psychosocial programs undertaken during humanitarian emergencies. \ Community members work with social work researchers to identify domains of well-being, how they were addressed in the past, what is possible now, and how to create transformative systems where essential elements are missing. In several instances, this exercise allowed disparate community members to find commonality in seeking a better life togetherThis talk will describe the SEE_PET and provide an example of its use in situations of disaster and armed conflict, including the development of specific mechanisms for program design, monitoring and \ evaluation.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

inclusion, \ community, well-being, psychosocial support, \ disaster, participatory monitoring and evaluation, trauma, \ transformation