World Social Work Day (WSWD) is celebrated every year on the third Tuesday of March. It has become a high point in the social work calendar, with social workers worldwide, including in Indonesia, celebrating and promoting the profession's contributions to individuals, families, communities, and wider society.

This year’s theme, "Buen Vivir: Shared Future for Transformative Change", highlights the importance of social workers embracing community-led approaches grounded in indigenous wisdom and harmonious coexistence with nature for social transformation. The concept of Buen Vivir, a Spanish word for “good living” or “living well,” originated from South American philosophy and has even been inscribed in the constitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia.It incorporates ideas of de-growth, austerity, and a stern critique of extractivism, which invokes limits in development. The idea emphasizes that humans are never owners of the earth and its resources, only stewards. Within the framework, those other futures we want must be well kept in check.

Social workers are important human resources in development. The distinguishing characteristic of social workers from other professions is their emphasis on the person-in-environment model and social justice.

Social justice is an integral part of social work and is strongly embedded in its value of equality. Including struggles for environmental justice within an environmental framework is a critical and significant part of social workers’ activities. It surfaces when redressing complex environmental degradation issues, vulnerability among marginalized populations, and disaster responses.

The Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision envisions Indonesia becoming a high-income country, the world's fourth or fifth largest economy by 2045, with near-zero poverty. The goal is set for 2045 since the republic will commemorate 100 years of its independence by then. Meanwhile, inequality is and will likely remain a key challenge threatening Indonesia’s future growth and prosperity.

Inequality threatens long-term social and economic development, harms poverty reduction, and destroys people’s fulfillment and self-worth. Sustainable development cannot be achieved if individuals and communities are excluded from better access and contribution to social, economic, and political life. Therefore, reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are key to achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As of mid-2023, Indonesia's sustainable development index has reached 70.2 and is ranked 75th out of 166 countries worldwide. These achievements were supported by economic growth, which reached 5.31 percent after the pandemic, reduced stunting rates and maternal and infant mortality, and increased literacy rates and gender equality.

However, based on the Gini Ratio, an indicator used to measure income or wealth inequality in a population or country, the level of expenditure inequality among the Indonesian population as measured using the Gini Ratio in March 2023 is 0.388.

The message is clear: social workers have a mission to solidify their movement and advance advocacy for more inclusive and sustainable development, which will improve Indonesian society.

Social workers should embed Buen Vivir into their spirit and use it as a perspective for practice. Regarding response to the natural environment, they could incorporate green social work to address structural inequality and environmental degradation. This method supports the overall approaches for all people and other living things, including plants, animals, and physical ecosystems.

As Dominelli (2012) noted, green social work is a transdisciplinary, holistic approach to environmental crises that has challenged the social work profession to incorporate its principles, values, and concerns over environmental degradation and the disasters associated with this into mainstream practice. In detail, this approach emphasizes the natural relationship among all existing elements and then redefines the need to care for others, including being responsible for preserving the earth.

In addition, social workers should respect indigenous values to produce a more inclusive and interconnected social work practice. The WSWD 2024 theme emphasizes the need for social workers to adopt innovative community-based approaches based on indigenous wisdom and harmonious coexistence with nature. As world challenges are various today, from violent conflict to environmental crises, the “Buen Vivir” principle guides social workers to prioritize true well-being rooted in community and harmony with nature. Indonesia is gradually stepping up and elevating itself as a lower-middle-income country. However, to avoid development reaching back to the nadir of its progress, we should rethink the philosophy as a reminder that another sustainable development is possible.

The enactment of Law No. 14 of 2019 on Social Work has also provided Indonesian social workers more clarity and position to advance their steps to enhance people’s well-being under the social development agenda, compared to the previous year before the law enactment.

Hopefully, the Buen Vivir philosophy will always inspire our social workers to participate in the development of Indonesia.

Muhammad Izzul Haq (The writer is a lecturer of the Welfare Study Program at UIN Kalijaga Yogyakarta and a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Social Work at McGill University.) -This article was published inthejakartapost.com20th Mar 2024.