In Bangladesh, Multi-sectoral Stakeholders Inform Social Safety Net Policy
On September 18, 2022, the USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy project facilitated a technical workshop in Dhaka on National Social Safety Nets. The collaborative workshop brought together experts and thought leaders from the government, United Nations agencies, donors, civil society, research institutes, and international development partners to co-create solutions that inform social safety net policy making.
The five-year Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy project supports the Government’s efforts to build an inclusive social safety net system by strengthening the capacity of key agricultural actors and institutions.
The Feed the Future project presented findings on the current social safety net policy and framework as captured through a series of consultations at the national, regional, and community levels. Throughout the day-long workshop, participants engaged in constructive discussions to validate, refine, and expand on the themes identified and make recommendations for next steps.
The Government of Bangladesh is committed to build an inclusive social safety net system that effectively tackles and prevents poverty and inequality and contributes to broader human development, employment, and economic growth. The five-year Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy project supports the Government of Bangladesh to achieve this goal by strengthening the capacity of key agricultural actors and institutions to build inclusive policy systems through collective action.
Faheem Khan, Country Lead, Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy project, gave the keynote presentation highlighting the outcomes of the desk research, exploratory workshops, and key informant interviews conducted across the USAID Feed the Future Zone of Influence (Barishal, Khulna, and Jashore regions) and Zone of Resilience (Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts). The findings were summarized into three emerging themes: 1) weak accountability mechanisms are impacting accurate selection of social safety net beneficiaries; 2) limited coordination between Ministries, Departments, and Agencies is resulting in inefficient implementation of social safety nets including duplication of resources and inadequate coverage; and 3) lack of awareness on eligibility criteria for social safety nets in addition to limited capacity to use online services affects access to safety nets.
Mr. Md. Shamsul Arefin, Secretary Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Secretariat, was present as the Chief Guest; and Mr. Shirajun Noor Chowdhury, Additional Secretary (Finance Division), Ministry of Finance, chaired the opening session of the event. Special guests included Mr. Joseph Lessard, Deputy Director, Economic Growth Office, USAID/Bangladesh, and Mr. Domenico Scalpelli, Representative and Country Director, World Food Programme. Dr. Firdousi Naher, Professor of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka chaired the technical session discussions.
“Through social safety nets, the Government of Bangladesh aims to provide economic security to underprivileged people, provide support to ensure the good health of mothers and children, and undertake programs for human capacity development and empowerment. Through today’s workshop, we have strengthened the collaborative process by bringing together diverse experts to facilitate learning and thought leadership for social safety net policy systems strengthening,” Mr. Md. Shamsul Arefin highlighted during his speech.
Mr. Joseph Lessard added, “A key priority for the Agricultural Policy project is to strengthen the capacities of Bangladesh’s key agricultural actors and institutions, improve the policy environment, and cultivate the policy-making processes. This enables inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth and a well-nourished population.”
Mr. Shirajun Noor Chowdhury shared, “Improved policymaking processes and inclusive participation are critical factors to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthen resilience, and build a prosperous Bangladesh.”
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