Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1980

Conference on Social Development A Conference on “ Social Development, an Inventory andAppraisal",jo intly sponsored by the Department of Social Work o f this university and the Inter-University Consortium on International Social Development (lUCISD), was held from 27th to 31st July, 1980 at United College. About ahundred delegates from Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, United Republic of Cameron, Iran, Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa, U.S.A. and Canada attended the Conference. The local organizing committee com prised staff of the University's Department of Social Work with Mrs. Eva Li Ko, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, asChairman. The purpose of the Conference was to provide workers, educators and development officers with the opportunity to share with each other their successes, fustrations, wisdom and creative ideas on social development. “ Social development", a co-ordinated effort to plan the educational, health, economic and social provisions and services, is believed to be more appropriate as a concept and process than "social welfare" in meeting many of the basic human needs faced by the people throughout the world and to raise the quality of their life. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ma Lin welcomed the delegates with abrief address, emphasizing that it was indeed an honour for the University to co-host the first international conference of lUCISD. Dr. J.E.X. Paiva of the Asian Pacific Development Centre of the United Nations and Founding Secretary-General of IUCISD, delivered the keynote address. Other papers presented covered the role of social development in national building, theoretical and reality-based con cepts useful to social development, training inter sectoral workers for social development, curriculum for social development and training frontline workers, and the role and special contributions of women to social development, etc. Visits to Lek Yuen Housing Estate, the World Rehabilitation Fund Day Centre and Kai-nan Training Centre at Kwun Tong, etc. were arranged for the delegates apart from attending the Conference. 19