PRESS RELEASE – GLOBAL AGENDA REPORT PUBLISHED
15 JULY 2020
‘Human relationships are the engine of social development’ says global report
The fourth and final report on the first decade of The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development 2010-2020 is published today, Wednesday 15th July 2020.
The report includes a Global Overview and five regional reports highlighting the need to develop and sustain good relationships in social work and social development.
‘In the challenging times facing the world today, the expertise of our professions is as relevant to world peace and development as it has ever been’ said the Presidents of the three global bodies. Professionals in social work and social development have essential expertise in relationship building, a skill desperately needed in our world, which is too often divided by suspicion and hatred’,.
The key messages of the Global Overview can be summarised as:
Failure to address worsening inequality is increasing instability and undermining social relationships
Planning for sustainability and wellbeing for all in healthy environments benefits individuals and humanity
Valuing and involving people in decision making, respecting local knowledges, including indigenous knowledges, produces better and more sustainable
outcomes
Demonstrating support for respectful relationships, building on people’s
strengths, creates the best outcomes
Respecting the practice experience of practitioners in social work and development strengthens the effectiveness of policy
Ensuring a positive working environment with relationship based management draws out the best in practice
Resourcing education and training, including continuing personal development and research, is crucial both for organisational effectiveness and professional
practice.
The Global Agenda is a joint initiative of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW – President Annamaria Campanini), the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW – President Eva Holmberg Herrström) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW – President Silvana Martinez).
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS
The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development 2010-2020 was launched at the World Conference for Social Work and Social Development 2010 in Hong Kong. Designed to enhance the visibility of the professions and organisations, it has provided a common platform for the three global partners. The four themes each spanned two years and were the focus of World Social Work Days (WSWD) and regional and global conferences.
The Global Agenda has attracted considerable interest including references in over
100 published books and articles, extensive discussion in professional magazines and newsletters, references in submissions to the United Nations and other global and
national official bodies and action on World Social Work Days around the globe. It
has stimulated reflection on the nature of social work and social development and helped shape the global discourse.
A consultation on The Global Agenda for the next decade was launched at the Dublin world conference in 2018. The consultation was disrupted by the global pandemic and its far-reaching consequences. The global bodies decided to continue the consultation in 2021 to enable time for reflection on the implications of the pandemic and other developments. It is proposed that the theme for 2020-2022 should focus on solidarity.
The report also includes a description of the process of The Global Agenda, an evaluation of the decade of activity and a chapter looking to the next decade.
The Global Agenda has provided a unifying focus for social work and social development, laying a foundation for further development and enhanced influence in its second decade.
For previous reports please visit:
IASSW, ICSW & IFSW. 2012. The global agenda for social work and social development:
commitment to action. IFSW, Bern. http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/globalagenda2012.pdf.
IASSW, ICSW & IFSW. 2014. Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development first report
2014: promoting social and economic equalities. International Social Work [Online], 57. https://www.iassw-aiets.org/files/Global%20Agenda-firts%20report.pdf
IASSW, ICSW & IFSW. 2016. Global agenda for social work and social development: second
report. promoting the dignity and worth of peoples. IFSW, Bern, Switzerland. https://www.iassw-aiets.org/files/2016_Global-Agenda-2nd-Report-PDF-Edition-WEB.pdf
IASSW, ICSW & IFSW. 2018. The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. Third report: promoting community and environmental sustainability. IFSW, Rhinefelden, Switzerland. https://www.ifsw.org/product/books/global-agenda-for-social-work-and-social-development-3rd- report/
IASSW, ICSW & IFSW. 2020. The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. Fourth report: Strengthening recognition of the importance of human relationships. IFSW, Rhinefelden, Switzerland. 
