The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is calling for expressions of interest (EOI) for organising and hosting the 2026 World Conference on Social Work and Social Development (SWSD2026). The conference is generally held in the month of July and is anticipated to attract a minimum of 1,500 participants but can be as high as 3,500.
The deadline for applicant organizations to respond to this call for expressions of interest is 22 December 2023. Upon receipt of EOI, the IFSW Executive Committee will determine those EOI’s that will be moved forward and request greater budget and organizational detail. The decision to award the tender will be made by the IFSW Executive Committee at its meeting in March 2024 after which a contract will be completed to finalize the agreement.
Benefits for the Host country include:
- Strengthening the stakeholder relationships at the national and regional level
- Making the profession visible
- Political impact within the host country
- Strengthening the host member’s involvement
Applications from Africa and the Middle East will be prioritised. The theme and sub-themes of the conference will be established through the Global Agenda 2020-2030 process.
Specifications and Criteria
The successful applicant will fully address and demonstrate compliance with the following specifications and criteria:
- If the EOI is submitted by more than one organisation there must be a written agreement between the applicant organisations specifically noting that they represent the local/regional organisation of IFSW
- Evidence to confirm the financial viability of the host organisations
- Evidence to confirm organisational capacity of the host organisation(s) to organize a conference
- Proposed dates noting any potential advantages or disadvantages with the dates
- The level of anticipated local participation and support for the conference
- An indicative budget, which covers all anticipated expenditures and sources of income, including those regarding the solidarity and scholarship funds (below)
- Capacity for translation in the official languages of the IFSW and any local or regional language that would encourage and facilitate fuller participation in the conference. (English is the working language of the conference).
- Capacity for online participation (hybrid event)
- Any events, anniversaries or additional reasons why the country should host the conference
- Proposed venue with detail of capacity to host plenaries, symposiums and workshops, and provide access for people with disabilities
- Availability of accommodation from inexpensive to five-star
- Legal or diplomatic restraints on attendance. A statement from the government will be required that there will be no barriers or restrictions on entry to the citizen of any country who is a bona fide member of IFSW
- Capacity to organize field visits
- Proposals for social events
- Opportunities for scholarships
- Proposals on marketing including interactive website for marketing, program and registration
Checklist
The following checklist will be used during the screening process. Expressions of interest should indicate where in their documentation these items are addressed (if the information is not listed in the space provided).
- Written agreement of support from the local/regional IFSW member organisation
- Evidence of financial viability
- Evidence of organisational capacity
- Dates proposed
- Level of local participation and support
- Indicative budget with participant level of 1500, 2000 and 2500
- Capacity for translation
- Capacity for online participation (hybrid event)
- Any events, anniversaries, or extra reasons for hosting
- Proposed venue with detail of capacity and access
- Availability of a range of accommodation
- Legal and diplomatic constraints
- Capacity to organise field visits
- Proposals for social events
- Proposals on marketing and website
- Opportunity for scholarships
Guideline for Preparing the Budget
EOI must include preliminary budgetary information in order to be considered. Following the first level screening, proposers will be asked to detail revenue and expenses in accordance with a more detailed budget format.
Draft Budgets should include options for 1500, 2000 and 2500 participants.
- Income
- Registration fees (include fee levels and prospective participant numbers for members, non-members, participants from developing countries, and students)
- Government grants
- Grants from other sources
2. Venue
- Leasing/rental costs for venue
- AV equipment
- Stationery
- Translation
- Budget venue to allow for more practitioners to attend
- Other venue costs
3. Programme Costs
- Expenses
- Speakers’ travel and accommodation costs
- Transport costs
- Field visits
- Translation costs
- Other programme costs
4. Social Events
- Welcome event
- Conference dinner
- Other social events
5. Publications
- Delegate pack
- Other publications costs
6. Management
- Professional conference organizer fees
- Marketing
- Website
- Staffing
- Scholarships
- Surplus
7. Contingencies
For more detail please visit IFSW website.