Social Work will be present and active at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024, to be held in Samoa this October. The Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work (COSW), an accredited Commonwealth Organisation, is working with regional partners to showcase indigenous perspectives from across the South Pacific in support of the CHOGM theme “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.”
This event presents a unique opportunity for social workers to highlight their expertise on key issues affecting national governments and the Commonwealth. Notably, many of the 56 Commonwealth member countries have social work organisations that are members of IFSW and active with COSW, strengthening our collective voice.
COSW’s involvement includes submissions to CHOGM, participation in the People’s, Women’s, and Youth Forums, and collaboration with regional partners to present indigenous perspectives from the South Pacific.
Joachim Mumba, President of IFSW, stated, “This collaboration at CHOGM 2024 underscores the critical role social workers play in addressing global challenges. The presence of COSW ensures that the social work profession’s insights and solutions are integrated into policy discussions at the highest levels.”
David N Jones, former IFSW President and COSW Main Representative to the Commonwealth Institutions, added, “The CHOGM 2024 agenda has much relevance to social workers. COSW will be there to ensure that our experience is shared and our key role in responding to so many of today’s global challenges is recognised.”
COSW will be represented at CHOGM by a delegation led by Dr. Yvonne Crichton-Hill, Associate Professor at Te Whare Wānanga O Waitaha – University Of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand, who brings her Samoan heritage and expertise in Pacific wellbeing, climate change, and social work education to the fore.
For further information, please visit the COSW website at https://cosw.info/cosw-news/ or contact David N Jones at , Twitter: @CwlthSocWk.