National Association of Social Workers

From the President

Strengthening Global Commitment

By Gary Bailey, MSW

At the end of this month, NASW will host the Executive Committee and special task forces of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). The last time IFSW had its meeting in Washington, D.C., was almost 13 years ago, in July 1992, when we hosted the World Assembly of Social Workers. NASW's membership in IFSW has remained constant, but our attention to international issues and active participation has waxed and waned over the intervening years.

I am pleased that today, NASW's commitment to strengthening the image and impact of social work in the global context has never been stronger. That commitment includes support for the work of IFSW and the United Nations and heightened vigilance as the world struggles with disasters, human rights abuses, poverty, security and the ever-increasing gulf between rich and poor nations and people.

Terry Mizrahi, following the lead of former NASW presidents Suzanne Dworak-Peck and Josephine Allen, began the renewal of NASW's interest in international issues. When I assumed the presidency of NASW, I envisioned an NASW International Committee whose responsibilities would include assisting in the development of international program activities, serving as experts in interpreting NASW policy as it relates to international social work and promoting member education and mobilization on international issues. This committee would be made up of internationalists who would be knowledgeable about the work and thinking of allied international social work organizations.

Members can be proud that we have such a committee and a group of dedicated individuals who make up its membership.

In June 2003, I attended my first IFSW meeting in Copenhagen as IFSW vice president for North America. I met with the regional representatives of 80 countries and listened to their perspectives about the challenges and opportunities that social workers encounter daily and the way that governments directly or indirectly affect the profession. What I learned convinced me that NASW needed to be an active player in the international social work arena.

Most recently, in the fall of 2004, I attended the meeting of the Social Work World Congress in Adelaide, Australia. One of the highlights for me at this meeting was to be one of the authors of a resolution denouncing the genocide in Sudan and pledging support for the United Nations in its efforts to resolve the crisis. This is now a formal part of policy for the international body.

Much has been accomplished in the last two years. NASW created the Office of Human Rights and International Affairs that provides staff support to help institutionalize work on global issues within NASW. We have developed relationships with social work associations from other countries and have signed memoranda of understanding with the Canadian Association of Social Workers and the Russian Union of Social Workers and Social Pedagogues. Members of the NASW International Committee have also helped develop policy statements to be considered by the NASW Delegate Assembly in its meeting this August.

To foster a global agenda that engages members, we must work in coalitions with like-minded organizations. We are pleased that IFSW is a member of the U.N.'s Board of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations and has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In addition, for the past 22 years IFSW has co-sponsored with the International Association of Schools of Social Work a very successful international Social Work Day at the United Nations.

NASW recently joined InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations, and we have been a longtime member of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, the nation's largest grassroots organization and the leading center of policy research on the U.N. and global issues.

Our collaboration with these organizations is practical and operational. With them, we promote international development and support the critical work of the United Nations during these challenging times. Our involvement also informs the social work profession's approach to implementing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals — the most ambitious social agenda developed to eradicate poverty and promote the well-being of societies throughout the world.

NASW is indeed an important part of the global social work community. We continue to look for opportunities to impact factors that contribute to human and civil rights violations. I am proud that we as an association will be able to host our international social work colleagues, and I continue to believe that together we can make a difference and create a truly civil society.

To comment to Gary Bailey: president@naswdc.org

From April 2005 NASW News. © 2005 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.