Time has come to ensure overall social protection without excuse

Planning Advisor Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud inaugurated the three-day 'National Conference on Social Protection' at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital on Monday.

The event brings together the stakeholders representing ministries, development partners, civil society, academia, and private sector to assess progress of social protection in the last 15 years, and find a path towards a more inclusive, shock-responsive, and sustainable framework for an equitable society.

The planning advisor, in his speech on the occasion, said the time has come to ensure overall social protection without excuse, as Bangladesh is heading towards becoming a middle-income country.

He urged the political parties to commit from now to work for a just society, and said the interim government has been working to prepare roadmaps on different sectors to facilitate the next government.

"Commitment should be come from now. Extreme poverty never exists in a just society. We want to prepare roadmaps, so that the next government can work with these in a just society."

The chief guest further said, "Bangladesh, preparing to graduate from LDC to a middle-income country, has no excuse not to build a universal system that ensures dignity and security for all."

Professor Mahmud also pointed out to the population who might slip below the poverty line after the graduation, focusing on finding out right beneficiaries under the next social protection strategy for ensuring people's resilience.

The Cabinet Division has organised the national conference with the theme "A Journey Towards an Equitable Society", under Social Security Policy Support (SSPS) Programme. It is an initiative of the Cabinet Division and the General Economics Division (GED).

Adviser for Disaster Management and Relief Faruk E Azam addressed the event as the special guest, with Cabinet Secretary Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid presiding over it.

UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller, Australian Deputy High Commissioner Clinton Pobke, European Union Head of Delegation Michael Miller, Ministry of Public Administration Senior Secretary Dr. Md. Mokhles ur Rahman, and GED Member (Secretary) Dr. Monzur Hossain also spoke. Additional Secretary Mohammad Khaled Hasan presented the keynote paper.

The disaster management and relief adviser highlighted the need to integrate disaster response with social protection. "Social protection in Bangladesh began with disaster response, and today, making communities disaster-resilient remains the strongest form of social protection."

The cabinet secretary said people's mindset is to find work, not relief. He urged all to find ways for ensuring social protection by strengthening all stakeholders.

The UNDP resident representative said as Bangladesh sets strategic directions for the next generation of social protection, UNDP is committed to aligning its support with the nation's evolving socio-economic landscape and long-term development aspirations.

smunima@yahoo.com