World Social Work Day is on the 17th March 2020. It is the key day in the year that social workers worldwide stand together to advance our common message globally. This year, the 2020 World Social Day highlights ‘Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships’. This is the fourth and final theme of the 2010 to 2020 Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships: This theme was established to build international focus on the interdependence of people and the need for change in policies and social service delivery. Commenting on the theme IFSW Secretary-General, Rory Truell said:
“The integrated themes of the Global Agenda give voice and action for a sustainable world. A world underpinned by equality, where everyone has the skills to contribute to their environments for benefit of all and the planet. This theme highlights that co-determining relationships between people, communities, nations are essential in addressing the social, economic and ecological challenges. Drawing on the core skills of bringing people together to balance needs in celebrated diversity, social work has a significant and essential contribution to make in every society. Our task and mission at the time is to advance this message in our communities, in our workplaces and with our governments and shape a sustainable future.”
Cobranding the Poster: All social work partners and members are welcome to co-brand the #SWSD2020 poster by adding their logo alongside the IFSW logo. We also invite them to share with us their initiatives, events, and proposals to celebrate #WSWD2020. We will upload them on this page and distribute them among social workers around the world. The themes for the next decade are currently under consultation. You are welcome to participate and share with us your vision of the future Global Agenda 2020-2030.
We will close the consultation process in the SWSD 2020: IFSW International Conference of Social Work in Calgary, Canada. Join us to share the future of Social Work!
To find out more click on the links to The Global Agenda and the History_of World Social Work Day
Download the updated 2020 WSWD poster -Bowing
2020-WSWD-POFinal-BowingPortrait
We also invite member organisations to translate the poster into their own languages. Last years poster was translated into 70 languages highlighting global professional unity and common action.
We hope that most organisations will be able to edit the poster for translation themselves, but if this is not possible, please copy the text below in bold, write your translation underneath, and email it to: Promoting the importance of human relationships World Social Work Day 17th March 2020 WSWD poster is out!
Thank you to all – it is a significant professional step forward that globally social workers promote the importance of human relationships!
IFSW will post your translated poster on this website so that it can be shared across the world. (Please note that the relevant IFSW member organisation must approve the translation which may take a few days).
IFSW has altered the World Social Work Day poster. In the current situation with the Covid 19 Virus, we have adapted the poster to show the Importance of Human Relationships with non-touch symbolism. This reflects the quickly adapted social work changes in practice in many countries.
Social work is adaptable to meet the conditions.!
Afrikaans_WSWDadapted
Ndebele (South Africa)_WSWDadapted
Xitsonga_Southh Africa WSWDadapted
(More language options will be posted here shortly)
Download the 2020 WSWD poster in English
Download the 2020 WSWD poster in English portrait version
Ndebele (South Africa)
Xitsonga (South Africa)
IFSW Secretary-General, Rory Truell’s message for World Social Work Day. In the video, Dr Truell highlights that this year’s theme: ‘Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships’ is evidenced in the social work response to the Covid 19 Virus.
IFSW African Region
IFSW North America, President, Janice Christianson-Wood
IFSW Human Rights Commissioner, Colleen Lundy #WSWD2020
IFSW Interim Education Commissioner, Vassilis Ioakimidis
#Japan #WSWD2020
#WSWD2020 South Korea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=2vvvpKfB32s&fbclid=IwAR1-eMuS1MoWhjliVClszy_44PqPXlgOCoOwm1mDRRAqr_Mr5ZmwefhPfCw&app=desktop
(More videos will be posted here shortly)
Events on World Social Work Day 2020
PLEASE NOTE: WSWD AT THE UN IN GENEVA HAS BEEN POSTPONED, FURTHER INFORMATION TO FOLLOW. WSWD AT THE UN IN NEW YORK HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
IFSW organises events on World Social Work Day as part of its representation work at the United Nations offices in Geneva and New York. Information will be posted here shortly.
#IFSWAsiaPacific, message from IFSW Asia Pacific President, Rose Henderson
Greetings and Happy World Social Work Day!
As President of the IFSW Asia Pacific Region, I wish you all a very happy World Social Work Day 2020, an annual celebration that unites our profession across the globe.
I want to begin this year by acknowledging the very difficult circumstances many social workers around the globe are facing as we respond to the covid-19 virus. This has impacted us all in some way – directly or indirectly – and I want to especially pay tribute to our social work colleagues in Asia Pacific who have developed new ways of working to provide social work services and support to the people and the communities most affected. I further thank those Associations who have been able to share their strategies, learnings, resources and advice on the great social work activities they have undertaken. I encourage all to keep on sharing your work as members of our profession continue to grow, learn and postively influence community and political responses to this pandemic.
As we gather together to celebrate World Social Work, our Global Agenda theme is “Promoting the importance of human relationships.”
There are many and varied dimensions to this theme at micro, meso and macro levels of the social work role. This could include the various elements of the social work process and role including engagement, therapy, strengthening the person’s support networks, building sustainable change, promoting social wellbeing and peace. A further important dimension of this theme is how it applies to us as professionals – the importance of human relationships in our workplaces – the teams we work within, our leaders and supervisors. Whether we work face to face or continue to advance the use of electronic technologies in our work, the importance of human relationships remains paramount in social work.
Again I wish you a Happy World Social Work Day and look forward to the sharing of how our members around the globe take time to celebrate social work and this theme.
#WSWD2020 #IFSW #Austria
Liebe KollegInnen, VernetzungspartnerInnen, KlientInnen, Angehörige und PolitikerInnen.
Wir laden euch/Sie bereits zum 5. Mal zum World Social Work Day in Kärnten ein. Kommt vorbei und zeigt mit uns gemeinsam, wie wichtig die Soziale Arbeit ist.
Denn was wäre unsere Gesellschaft ohne SozialarbeiterInnen und SozialpädagogInnen?
Wieviele KlientInnen und Angehörige wären mit ihren Themen (Armut, Wohnungslosigkeit, Sucht, etc.) alleine?
Wann: Dienstag, 17.03.2020
Wo: Klagenfurt, Alter Platz
WSWD2020 Bangladesh
WSWD2020 Bangladesh
World Social Work Day Celebration in Japan
deliver a memorial lecture at the organization’s main event celebrating World Social Work Day 2020.- Theme: Time for Action to Social Change: From Crisis to Hope – Social Work in Latin America
- Date and time: February 29 th (Sat), 2020
- Lecture: 1:30 – 5:00 pm
- Social event: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
- Venue: Sky Hall at Toyo University’s Hakusan Campus (Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan)
We have planned following in-house events to commemorate WSWD 2020 with our partners:
- Capacity Building and Training Programme on Institutional Strengthening with Special Emphasis on Professional Social Work, Values, Principles, Methods and Ethics of Social Work for the Social Work Force, Students and other Human Resources at Pingalwara (A home for the Destitute and Persons with Disabilities) on 16th March, 2020 from 10.00 AM to 1.30 PM at Pingalwara, Chandigarh.
(Closed Invitation and In house)
- Capacity Building and Training Programme on Community Driven Development and Sustainable Development Goals for the Grass Root Community Based Organizations on 17th March, 2020 from 10.00 AM onward at Conference Hall, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh.
(Closed Invitation and In house)
- Seminar on Theoretical Connotation of the Importance of Human Relationships in Managing Substance Abuse on 17th March, 2020 fro m 2.30 PM to 5.00 PM at School of Public Health and Department of Community Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh for Health and Social Workers, Faculty, Medical Officers, Researchers, Para-medics.
(Open to Public with prior registration) For registrations: https://forms.gle/vXXy7128T3G66sJn9 (Maximum 60 participants)
- Capacity Building and Training Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and Social Work Education for Sustainable Development for the Grass Root Youth Organizations, Community Based Organizations on 21st March, 2020 from 10.00 AM onward at Conference Hall, DAV College, Pehowa, Kurkshetra, Haryana.
(Closed Invitation and In house)
The details can be found at www.apswdp.org
One Day National Seminar-cum-Workshop on World Social Work Day 2020 : Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships : Fostering Human Relationships (Commemorating World Social Work Day 2020)
Message of Iran Association of Social Workers for WSWD 2020
“The world is thirsty for peace and humanity”
Naming days for special occasions may provide chances to speak about related topics. The World Social Work Day is one of these occasions. Firstly, I congratulate this happy day to all social workers who are social health ambassadors, and bow down to them for all their endeavors towards promoting peace and friendship.
With regard to the theme of WSWD- 2020, “Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships” some points is worth mentioning: Having human relationships is one of the human beings needs. Human relationships prepare the ground for people to be kind to each other, to bestow love and care, and to be aware of one another.
Taking this theme for our societies that are undergoing various disastrous conditions and violence, etc, have a clear message that is social life is meaningless without sufficient attention to the quality of our relationships with others. So, promoting human relationships helps us not to be neglectful of people, not to be conceited, to respect differences, to do good things to others, and to promote love and kindness. As Rumi, the famous Persian poet from 13th century, said:
By love bitter things become sweet;
By love pieces of copper become golden;
By love dregs become clear;
By love pains become healing
By love the dead is made living;
By love the king is made a slave.
I do believe that treating kindly to others will expand friendship in the society and lessen sense of social isolation, which is a serious concern of contemporary societies, and can be replaced with social kindness. I think if our problems be solved through the human relationships, we will feel happier, and our sense of belonging to each other will be heightened.
Since humanity and altruism go beyond geographical and political borders, the theme of 2020 is a key, critical and fundamental choice which other than social workers and civilians, there must be an effort to attract policy makers’ attention as well because promoting human relationships will result in global peace. Let’s remember that “life is meaningless without human relationships”
I wish the best for you and the global society of social work.
Dr. Hassan Mousavi Chelak
President of Iran Association of Social Workers
And IFSW-AP Ethics Commissioner
Warm greetings from the Malaysian Association of Social Workers!
In conjunction with World Social Work Day 2020, Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW) is co-organizing with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in bringing MASW-KPWKM-UKM in bringing the MASW-KPWKM-UKM National Social Work Symposium 2020 on 21 March. At the same time, MASW will be hosting its 47th Annual General Meeting.
The symposium theme highlights on ‘Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships: Competencies in Social Work Practice’.This symposium hopes to emphasis the importance of social work competencies to address the social, economic and ecological challenges in Malaysia. The target participants include social workers, social work educators, personnel in government and non-governmental organizations, and social work students.
Note: The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, abbreviated as KPWKM. KPWKM is an acronym in our national language as Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat. KPWKM is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia with its goal to develop a prosperous society through sharing of responsibility of the strategic development and delivery of social services efficiently and effectively. One of the 5 agencies oversee by the KPWKM is the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia, with primary responsibility of the country’s welfare services in development and well-being of community.
In 2019, Municipal Welfare Centre in Sopot joined the celebration of World Social Work Day and organised an event entitled „The Tulip for a Sopot’s resident”. During that day 1000 white tulips and 200 blue balloons were given for residents and municipal institutions, bringing the idea of social work we underlined the value of interpersonal relationships. Good cooperating with institutions is also very important to solving social problems. Every tulip had a card with inscription promoting World Social Work Day and Municipal Welfare Centre in Sopot.
In the framework of promoting human relationships , in December 2019, Social Workers and family assistants from Municipal Welfare Centre in Sopot organised a gathering for families „Healthy Relationships – the capital of the future”. The meeting was addressed to Sopot’s families and specialists working with families, children and young people. The main theme of the meeting was increasing the parent’s knowledge of the impact of emotions in parent-child relationship as well as to showing the need for attention to social problems affecting the family.
This year, as the previously, we are organising the event under the slogan: „The Tulip for a Sopot’s resident”. 17th of March, we will set off on the streets to meet our residents and promote the value of human relationships. 2020 is a special year for us because we are celebrating thirtieth anniversary of our centre. We will send you a rapport of World Social Work Day in 2020 at the end of March.
More about the World Social Work Day in Sopot in 2019:
http://mopssopot.pl/dzien-otwarty-i-tulipanowy-happening/
https://www.sopot.pl/aktualnosc/7431/kwiatowy-happening-z-okazji-swiatowego-dnia-pracy-socjalnej
Hello March 👋 the month social workers around the globe celebrate #WorldSocialWorkDay2020 🥳
We have a few spaces left at our event, “Building Connections on World Social Work Day” 🤝
This event will include a variety of speakers & workshops, including resilience, working with parents with learning disabilities and conflict. Register before time runs out 👇⌛️
https://www.basw.co.uk/
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. FURTHER INFORMATION TO FOLLOW.
Social Work Day is celebrated since 1983 at the United Nations in New York 
and since 2012 in Geneva. World Social Work Day aims to highlight the achievements of social work, to raise the visibility of social services for the future of societies, and to defend social justice and human rights. World Social Work Day at the UN was born from the initiative of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), which have special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). The Day has been celebrated since 2012 in Geneva by IASSW and IFSW with the collaboration of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland –Social Work, Geneva (HETS GE), since 2017 with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), and since 2018 with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland–Social Work, Fribourg.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED