The Sri Lanka Association of Professional Social Workers (SLAPSW) organized an international workshop with the Association for International Social Work (AISW) on social policy and social work between September 2 and 3, 2024. The main theme was Challenges for Social Policy and Social Work in Japanese and South Asian Contemporary Societies. IFSW-AP President Machiko Ohara presented on Building Social Care Systems and Challenges for Social Work in Contemporary Society: Experiences of Aging and Work Life Balance in Japan, and IFSW-AP Treasurer Viktor Virag on International Migration and Challenges for Social Work in Contemporary Society: Experiences of Migrants and Multicultural Policy in Japan.
Following on September 4 and 5, the National Institute of Social Development (NISD), a school of social work under the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, held its 3rd Intranational Conference on Social Work. Social Security in the 21st Century: Shared Partnership for Transformative Change was chosen as the conference theme. Regional President Machiko Ohara was invited to deliver a keynote speech on Social Security and Health Life: Health and Social Work in Globalization, and Regional Treasurer Viktor Virag presented on Diversity and Inclusion in Social Security: Examples from Japanese Social Policy and Programs at a panel discussion about social security for all.
President Ohara made the following comments after her speech: ‘The building of sustainable social security systems is an important issue that social workers must be actively involved in. I am honored that I had the chance to participate in such meaningful discussions in Sri Lanka’.
Furthermore, President Ohara also mentioned that the 27th Asia Pacific Social Work Conference (APSWC2025) is scheduled to be hosted similarly in Sri Lanka in 2025. The theme of APSWC 2025 is Social Work Responds to Climate Change and Other Environmental Issues and the conference will focus on the role of social work in tackling climate change and other environmental problems. President Ohara stated that ‘Climate change and environmental problems pose unavoidable issues to us social workers. I am looking forward to APSWC2025 to have exhaustive discussions with Asia Pacific Regional experts on how to deal with these problems.’