{"id":74046,"date":"2026-01-29T12:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/?p=74046"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:38:53","slug":"bussw-co-hosts-international-social-work-conference-on-advancing-sustainable-development-in-zambia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/bussw-co-hosts-international-social-work-conference-on-advancing-sustainable-development-in-zambia\/","title":{"rendered":"BUSSW Co-Hosts International Social Work Conference on Advancing Sustainable Development in Zambia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What is social work\u2019s role in advancing sustainable development\u2014now and beyond 2030?<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In January 20<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">27,\u00a0a global community of social workers, scholars, and change-makers\u00a0will gather in\u00a0Lusaka, Zambia, for an international conference centered on\u00a0that\u00a0urgent\u00a0question.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><b>Beyond Borders: Advancing the SDGs Through Transdisciplinary Action<\/b><br \/>\nA global conference grounded in social work and cross-sector collaboration will take place January 14\u201317, 2027, co-<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">h<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">osted<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0by\u00a0Professor Margaret Lombe and\u00a0Assistant Dean of Teaching and Innovation,\u00a0Lyndsey McMahan, from\u00a0BU School of Social Work (BUSSW),\u00a0in partnership with\u00a0The Catholic University of East Africa\u00a0and\u00a0Zambia Catholic University.\u00a0As the global community approaches the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations SDGs, the conference will provide\u00a0a timely\u00a0space to\u00a0reflect on\u00a0progress, confront persistent challenges, and consider what comes next.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-650x460.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"396\" class=\"wp-image-74048 aligncenter\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-650x460.png 650w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-1024x724.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-768x543.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-1536x1086.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/files\/2026\/01\/E_SDG_poster_UN_emblem_WEB-202094-2048x1448.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0event\u00a0will bring together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, educators, and students from around the world to explore how social work bridges global development frameworks with local realities.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Key themes include:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Climate justice and environmental sustainability<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Migration, displacement, and human rights<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Health and well-being across the lifespan<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Gender equity and inclusive societies<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Human security<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ethical use of digital innovation and generative artificial intelligence for social change<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Participants will also\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">engage in forward-looking dialogue on what success in achieving the SDGs looks like for social work, how the profession navigates structural barriers and competing priorities, and how social workers can help shape future global development agendas beyond 2030.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/social-work-without-borders-2027\/\">Learn More About the Conference<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In January 2027,\u00a0a global community of social workers, scholars, and change-makers\u00a0will gather in\u00a0Lusaka, Zambia, for an international conference centered on\u00a0social work\u2019s role in advancing sustainable development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25622,"featured_media":74050,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8304,7435,8504],"tags":[],"profile-tax":[8360,8204],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74046"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25622"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74046"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75433,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74046\/revisions\/75433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74046"},{"taxonomy":"profile-tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ssw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile-tax?post=74046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}