International Social Work Practice

and the

United Nations System

By Luz Lopez Rodriguez, UNIFEM16 June 2009

International social work*All social work is now international, and governments are looking to social work for answers to these social crises.

Social workers also address international issues as program developers, managers and staff in many national and international organizations that include a “social development” component.

David Jones, IFSW PresidentSpeech at the 25th annual Social Work Day at the UN

On the theme `A Celebration of Human Rights and Social Work’ * http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38001308.html

• Kathleen Kendall, 98 years old and Honorary Life President of IASSW, spoke about her work as the first social worker employed by the United Nations.

• From 1947 to 1950, she served as Social Affairs Officer with the United Nations where she produced Training for Social Work: An International Survey.

Social Work Day at the United Nations

31 March 2008

Jane Addams 1860-1935Pioneer social worker in America, feminist and

internationalist. Addams founded Hull House on Halsted Street in Chicago in 1889. Hull House worked for social change, addressing such issues as child labor, public health reform, garbage collection, labor laws and race relations.

Jane AddamsThe Nobel Peace Prize 1931

• Addams believed women had a social responsibility to work for peace because working men would never be against war. She took on a leadership role in the Woman's Peace Party. Addams declared herself a pacifist and spoke out against World War I. Although she would eventually win a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts, it was an unpopular stance to take in 1914.

• Jane Addams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Alice Salomon (19 April 1872 - 30 August 1948) German social reformer and pioneer

of social work as an academic discipline.

From 1893, Alice Salomon was active in a social-reform initiative known as the "Girls and Women's Groups for Social Service Work", which was associated with the German women's movement and the liberal middle-class. She worked in an institution for girls and in a home for working women.

At the age of 27, Alice Salomon was renowned for combining social work with conceptual and organisational work, as well as with pedagogical and political activity.

Josefa Llanes Escoda

• 1922, Teacher’s Certificate from UP• Joined the Phil. Chapter of the American Red

Cross as a social worker• 1925, Social Worker’s certificate from the New

York School of Social Work and MSW, Columbia University

• Campaigned for women’s suffrage up 1933• 1937, Founded the Girl Scout of the Philippines• Founded Boys Town of the Philippines• Aided WWII Prisoners of War and was executed

by the Japanese

(1898 - 1945)

• United Nations - founded in 1945 after the WWII by 51 countries Six principal organs of the United Nations: the General Assembly, the

Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

• The United Nations family, however, is much larger, encompassing 15 specialized agencies and several programmes and bodies

• General Assembly: 192 Member States

• Security Council: 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members • Economic and Social Council: 54 members

• International Court of Justice: 15 judges

Quick Facts About the United Nations

Has specialized agencies, funds and programmes that work on a broad range of fundamental issues:

1. human rights2. governance3. sustainable development / environment 4. refugees protection, disaster relief5. counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to

promoting democracy6. economic and social development and international health7. clearing landmines8. expanding food production

Quick Facts About the United Nations

Social work as a key profession in supporting human rights

Social workers are in the front line in the battle to implement human rights. Social workers are inevitably monitoring implementation of the convention through their routine work.

Meaningful implementation must focus on empowering people to assert

their social and political rights and not just giving cash handouts and palliatives.

Social workers and their associations to contribute to the shadow reports prepared by NGOs when governments come to defend their human rights record.

* Craig MokhiberDeputy Director of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights

Ways for Social Workers to Engage the UN

Roles Key Skills

As implementing partner

Project development and implementation: social analysis, proposal writing, project management

As human rights advocate

Social analysis (historical, structural, gender and cultural analysis), HR monitoring and reporting, advocacy networking and mobilization

As UN volunteer Project development and implementation: social analysis, social service delivery

As development staff

Human rights-based & gender-responsive development programming and monitoring: social analysis, policy analysis and development, programme management, monitoring,