WSWD 2019: Round table on social workers standing up for human rights

This year the World Social Work Day, 19 March, promotes the importance of human relationships. It is a key day in which social workers worldwide stand together to celebrate the achievements of the profession and take the theme message into their communities, workplaces and to their governments to raise awareness of the social work contributions and need for further action. In celebration of this day, the International Federation of Social Workers, Avenir Social and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights organize an event to raise awareness on the interlinkages between human rights and social work. The event, in the form of a round table, will discuss social workers’ professional commitments to human rights and ways to translate those commitments into everyday social work. In the definition of Social Worker human rights principles are included as fundamental”: “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work”.
Traditional social-work ethical codes echo the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone in international human rights law, and social work’s ethical commitments compel social workers to advocate for human rights. The clearest link between social work and human rights exists within the UDHR itself: Article 25 elaborates the right to “necessary social
services: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance”.

Speakers
Mr. Rio Hada, Team Leader, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OHCHR)
Mr. Rory Truell, General Secretary of IFSW
Ms. Annina Grob, Co-CEO of avenirsocial
Mr. Kumi Naidoo, General Secretary, Amnesty International (tbc)
Mr. Joachim Mumba, Social Worker and IFSW Regional Vice President, Zambia

Coffee will be served from 9.30 on

Download the invitation here.

Free participation. No registration necessary but kindly asking to inform by email: