The 3rd International Social Work Conference opened Wednesday, under the theme: "Professionalizing Social Work: Reality and Hope." Inaugurating the two-day event at the University of Jordan, Minister of Social Development, Wafa Bani Mustafa, stressed the conference's importance in accomplishing social and developmental tasks to advance the social work profession and improve level and quality of social services provided to target groups. The minister added that the process of enhancing community engagement in Jordan's society emerges in the Kingdom's three paths of economic, political and administrative modernization and integrate contents in the National Social Protection Strategy. Furthermore, the minister stated the Jordanian government, represented by the Ministry of Social Development, is working, in coordination and cooperation with all its partners from the Kingdom's ministries, institutions and organizations to update the strategy for the years 2026-2033. Bani Mustafa pointed out that the governme nt is working in continuous coordination with its partners in the voluntary and private sectors to contribute to achieve a "comprehensive, effective, sustainable, and fair" development process, which would contribute to implement and regulate this effort to reach a "professional" social work project. Social Work Professionalising Bylaw was approved by Jordan's Council of Ministers Tuesday, under the new Social Development Law for the year 2024, and will enter into force two months after its publication in the Official Gazette, she said, noting that the ministry is working on updating the National Social Protection Strategy for the years 2019-2025. Source: Jordan News Agency