Social Work and the Harambee Call in the Era of Global Crises
Introduction to a Fragmented Society
The world in the mid-2020s faces a grim reality: a chain of crises ranging from devastating climate shocks to political instability and widespread conflict.
Data indicates that violent conflict and armed struggles surged in 2025 to their highest levels in three decades, directly affecting one in seven people globally.
Critical regions like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) witnessed escalating unrest, including regional tensions and overt conflicts such as the Israel-Iran war in June 2025.
These conditions have not only resulted in devastating human losses but have also shattered social foundations and support structures.
In an era where global divisions and fragmentation run deep, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) chose the inspiring theme for 2026:
“Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society.” This slogan, rooted in the African philosophy of “Harambee” (Swahili for “all pull together” or “unity in action”), serves as a global summons for collective action and solidarity against fragmentation.
The Spirit of Harambee: The Driving Force of Social Work
The concept of Harambee is more than a slogan; it is an operational strategy. It emphasizes that no single actor—neither governments, international institutions, nor a specific profession—can independently overcome today’s monumental challenges, be they war, inequality, or ecological collapse.
Harambee invites social workers to the heart of collective action, positioning them as facilitators for rebuilding trust and strengthening connections among individuals, communities, and institutions.
In conflict-ridden and crisis zones, the role of social workers, guided by this spirit, is vital and multi-faceted:
- Supporting Disrupted Families: Violent conflicts lead to forced family separation, displacement, and homelessness. Social workers, focusing on reunification, strive to reconnect children with parents, siblings, grandparents, and friendship support networks.
- This complex process demands trauma management, safety assessment, and the establishment of reliable local and international networks.
- Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity: As underscored in the Global Agenda for Social Work, reinforcing intergenerational solidarity for enduring well-being is a fundamental principle.
- During crises, social workers help preserve and transmit the knowledge and experiences of older generations to the youth, thereby maintaining cultural identity and social resilience against the ruptures of war.
- Repairing the Social Fabric: Beyond providing individual services, social workers focus on rebuilding damaged social structures.
- This includes community organization, establishing safe spaces for dialogue, and developing small-scale local projects that empower individuals to “co-build” their community’s future themselves.
Professional Readiness in the Face of Burnout
The continuous exposure to high levels of trauma and complex needs has created new challenges for the social work profession itself. Burnout has become a serious risk among social workers active in crisis regions. This situation accentuates the importance of focusing on “professional readiness.”
The final conference of the EU-funded SISWEC Project (2025) stressed the necessity of improving social work education to respond more effectively to complex challenges (such as pandemics, forced migration, and political instability). This education must encompass specialized skills in crisis intervention, trauma management, and psychological support for the social workers themselves.
Innovative global programs are emerging to support the profession. For instance, the “RESPIR” program in Spain, which provides temporary support for caregivers of persons with disabilities or the elderly, demonstrates the need to create supportive mechanisms for the “supporters.” These programs are a tangible expression of the Harambee philosophy, executing collective support for those undertaking care responsibilities, thereby ensuring the profession’s sustainability.
Future Outlook: Harambee for Sustainable Peace
The IFSW 2026 theme serves as a powerful reminder: sustainable peace is not merely the absence of war, but the active presence of justice, participation, and trust within society.
In a world fragmented by conflict, social workers, committed to the principles of social justice and human dignity, are the cornerstones for establishing hope and harmony.
To fully realize this Harambee call, the global community and relevant institutions must:
- Invest in Education: Guarantee specialized and up-to-date training for social workers in crisis intervention and working with displaced communities.
- Support Professional Resilience: Create support structures, such as specialized supervision and mental health services, to combat professional burnout.
- Acknowledge the Central Role: Strengthen the position of social workers in humanitarian decision-making and post-crisis policy formulation, from local levels to the United Nations.
Ultimately, Harambee is an invitation to every individual on this planet to join hands, not only to respond to crises but to actively “co-build” a united, just, and hope-filled human society for future generations. This is our shared responsibility.
References (Based on the IFSW Global Agenda):
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), World Social Work Day Theme 2026: Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society.
- Global reports on the scope of armed conflicts and social vulnerabilities in 2025.
- Outcomes of the SISWEC Project Conference (2025) regarding the improvement of social work education for complex challenge response.
- Global Social Work Agenda concepts regarding “Harambee” and Intergenerational Solidarity
