The International Consortium for Social development (ICSD) is an organisation consisting of practitioners, scholars, and students, who aim to bring about social improvement in the lives of people and their communities.
It was started in the 1970’s by a group of social work educators to respond to pressing human concerns from an international, interdisciplinary perspective. The organisation seeks to develop conceptual frameworks and effective intervention strategies geared to influencing local, national and international systems. It is committed to creating peaceful solutions to the problems of survival at the local, national and global levels. ICSD members use a social development approach to:
- Develop capacity of individuals and communities
- Promote world peace and social justice
- Improve access to adequate health care and education
- Overcome discrimination against women and minorities
- Create sustainable income and economic structures
The ICSD has three international branches, the most recent addition being the Africa branch, which was launched at the 22nd ICSD biennial conference held in South Africa, July 2021. Professor Lauren Graham, the director of the CSDA, is the Africa branch chairperson.
