Following the granting of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) consultative status in August 2025, the ICSD has appointed seven representatives along with the ICSD’s President to direct, coordinate and strengthen its participation in United Nations social development processes.

Professor Manohar Pawar has been appointed as the ICSD’s Focal Point Representative. A former President of the ICSD and Professor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University in Australia, he will provide leadership and help coordinate the organisation’s participation in UN processes.

Li Zou will represent the ICSD on the NGO Committee for Social Development. She is Director of International Programs at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis (an ICSD Institutional Member) and has been actively involved in the Committee since February 2025. She currently co-chairs its Education Subcommittee and serves as a member-at-large on its Board.

The regional representatives are:

• Dr Raj Yadav, Senior Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia (Asia Pacific)
• Dr Hans Kolstad, a philosopher and long-standing member of the ICSD European Branch, based in Denmark and Norway (Europe)
• Professor Jo Ann Regan, Dean of the National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America (Americas)
• Dr Mashidiso Sello, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg (Africa)

Together, the representatives will form the ICSD–UN Engagement Subcommittee. The team will coordinate the implementation of the strategy, monitor relevant UN developments, build partnerships and coalitions, facilitate regional and member participation, report on progress, and communicate opportunities and activities to the ICSD’s members and branches.

ICSD President, Leila Patel said: “Congratulations to our new representatives. This marks a new phase in the ICSD’s engagement in global social development processes”.

A key priority for the sub-committee will be expanding opportunities for ICSD members to participate in UN processes through written and oral statements, side events, collaborative research, regional initiatives and communication platforms. The ICSD will also work with like-minded organisations to strengthen its visibility, influence and evidence-based advocacy.

The appointments form part of the ICSD’s guidelines for UN engagement over the next three years. The strategy provides a structured and practical framework for contributing to global social policy dialogue, particularly through the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD) and the NGO Committee for Social Development (NGO CSocD).

The sub-committee will also focus on actionable solutions to implement the Doha Political Declaration adopted at the Second World Summit for Social Development and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This work aligns closely with the ICSD’s mission to eradicate poverty, promote social equality and social integration, and advance ecological sustainability.

Social Development Issues (SDI) continues to publish new work from across ICSD’s international network. According to the latest report from the SDI Editor and Board of Managers, Issues 1, 2 and 3 of Volume 47 have been published on the ICSD website. Issue 2 is a Special Issue from the ICSD Biennial Conference in Kochi, India, with Kiran Thampi as lead editor, followed by Wassie Kebede and Alice Butterfield. Issue 1 of Volume 48 is in its final proofing stages.

The SDI Board of Managers, the Editor and the Editorial Team have also agreed on three additional categories for publishable manuscripts: Challenges and Future Directions for Social Development, Field Notes in Social Development, and Book Reviews. These categories are intended to broaden the range of contributions to the journal and create additional opportunities for scholars, practitioners, students and ICSD members to share their work. ICSD Board members and the wider ICSD community are invited to contribute to these new SDI categories.

The first contribution in the new “Challenges and Future Directions for Social Development” category focuses on gender inequality and resistance against progressive policy reforms. It is authored by three members of the SDI Board of Managers — Assoc. Prof. Marsela Dauti, University of Tirana, Albania; Dr. Melody Kshetrimayum, FLAME University, India; Prof. Tanusha Raniga, University of Johannesburg, South Africa — together with Vikash Kumar, Northern Michigan University.

As SDI moves into its new open-access phase, ICSD members are warmly encouraged to consider submitting manuscripts to the journal. Member contributions will help strengthen the long-term readership, visibility and use of SDI, while also honouring the scholarly and practice-based work of ICSD members through peer-reviewed publication. Members can further support the journal by reading and citing relevant articles from SDI’s rich archive of 47 volumes, helping ensure that the work published over many years is found, used and referenced by future authors.

Philip Hong, SDI Editor, and the SDI Board of Managers

Social Development Issues (SDI), ICSD’s online peer-reviewed journal, is entering an important new phase. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Northern Michigan University (NMU) to host the journal through NMU Library Services on a library platform with Elsevier Press.

This development follows a lengthy process of discussion, legal review and formal approval at NMU. The transition marks an important step in strengthening the journal’s digital infrastructure and ensuring more stable access to current and past issues of SDI. The new SDI web platform is being developed with attention to the requirements of indexing services in the future. All 48 volumes of the journal are expected to be moved to the NMU platform, and the new site will go live once this process has been completed. The transition will involve both recent and upcoming volumes as well as SDI’s full archive.

Philip Hong, editor and Alice Butterfield, Chairperson of SDI Board of Managers are working closely with Vikash Kumar, Karl Johnson  and NMU library staff to coordinate the next steps. Philip, Alice, and Max Moon, SDI managing editor, are working with NMU Library Services and Elsevier Press to develop the SDI web platform.

Once completed, the move will also formally end ICSD’s previous relationship with MPS, and the existing MOU with the University of Georgia will be retired. In Fall 2026, Philip and Alice plan to travel to NMU to meet with administrators, library staff and faculty. A hybrid seminar on publishing, particularly in relation to SDI, is also being planned.

The SDI Board of Managers expressed its appreciation to Vikash Kumar for managing and facilitating this process over the past year. The new hosting arrangement represents a significant institutional development for SDI and for ICSD’s wider publication work.

Philip Hong, SDI Editor, and the SDI Board of Managers