TEHRAN – The ministry of health commemorated the 40th national social work day on Wednesday, highlighting intersectoral collaboration to support children within the health system.

Addressing the event, Zeinab Nasiri, an official with the health ministry, highlighted the importance of boosting collaborations with other governmental bodies and organizations, such as the ministries of education and labor, saying that collective participation will contribute to the realization of our shared responsibility, which is addressing the complicated issues that individuals and society are dealing with.

The official went on to say that children are the most vulnerable and voiceless group in society; their voices are often unheard as adults talk on their behalf. Therefore, any joint action must prioritize promoting children’s involvement, as they are one of the primary stakeholders and future builders of the country.

Referring to the social workers, the official said social workers connect the health system with target groups. Their most important role is to facilitate community solidarity. Addressing their challenges and promoting their status will help improve the services offered to target groups.

World Social Work Day 2025 was held on March 18 under the theme of ‘Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’. The theme emphasised the importance of caring and respecting across generations to build strong societies, sustain the environment, and share wisdom for a better future.

Intergenerational care and connections are essential to everybody’s wellbeing as well as fostering functional economies and societies; yet they are too often overlooked or ignored by governments and policymakers. Through this theme, the social work profession recognised the need for societies to strengthen and more actively support respectful intergenerational solidarity for the enduring wellbeing of all.

Tehran to host Intl. Conference on Social Work, Social Capital

The 6th International Conference on Social Work and Social Capital is scheduled to be held in Tehran on January 6, 2026.

Co-organized by the Asia-Pacific International Federation of Social Workers and the Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education, the event will be held in collaboration with 50 bodies, associations, universities, and at least 10 countries, both in person and online, bringing together domestic and international experts and professors, IRNA reported.

World Social Work Day will be celebrated on March 17, 2026. The day is a global call to heal divisions, to strengthen resilience, and to shape a fairer and more sustainable future.

The theme for this year, ‘Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society’, highlights the vital role of social work in bringing people together across communities, cultures, and systems to shape a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.

The choice of Harambee is deliberate and symbolic, literally meaning “pulling together” or “all for one. It draws inspiration from the African philosophy of Harambee; a collective call for unity, mutual support, and shared responsibility. In a world increasingly fractured by conflict, inequality, displacement, and ecological crises, the theme is both a reminder and a challenge: that the only sustainable way forward is through cooperation, solidarity, and co-creation.

The 2026 theme calls on social workers, governments, institutions, and communities worldwide to join hands in co-building spaces of hope and harmony. It challenges us to move beyond charity towards genuine solidarity, beyond service delivery towards systems change, and beyond divisions towards unity. It reminds us that peace is not merely the absence of violence, but the presence of justice, inclusion, and opportunity.

MT/MG