Building resilient communities through stronger social safety nets
DHAKA – Representatives from government ministries, development partners, academia, thinktanks and UN agencies, are gathering in Dhaka today to discuss the role social safety nets play in addressing climate change, building community resilience and helping Bangladesh achieve the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“This is an important shift in our thought process on disaster management. We are also at the planning stage for preparing the eighth five-year plan”, said Md Enamur Rahman, MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, “therefore this is the right time to organize this symposium on adaptive social protection, and come up with clear policy guidelines, especially on targeting poverty and vulnerability.”
“Since 2000, Bangladesh has cut down poverty by half,” said Dandan Chen, World Bank Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. “However, there is still one-fourth of the population living in poverty, including 20 million people living in extreme poverty. By enabling social protection to better address the impacts of climate change, adaptive social protection can be critical in building resilience and creating opportunities for the country’s vulnerable population.”
As Bangladesh is well on its way to graduating to a middle-income country status by 2024, the country’s development trajectory nonetheless faces considerable challenges due to its vulnerability to natural and climate-induced disasters. More than 80 percent of the population is vulnerable to such shocks. Together with rapid urbanization, these shocks can have far-reaching consequences on the poor and could potentially push more people into poverty.
“Because of its unique geographic location, Bangladesh will continue facing adverse effects of global warming and climate change in the future,” said Judith Herbertson, Head of DFID Bangladesh. “DFID is very happy to partner with the Government of Bangladesh to address the needs of vulnerable and marginalized people through implementing a range of social protection schemes, such as adaptive social protection.”
“It is a great platform for us to examine social protection, disaster risk management and climate change in a holistic manner” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director. ”The discussions and experience-sharing will help us determine the future direction of adaptive social protection and how it can contribute to the national development agenda in Bangladesh.”
Titled “Symposium on Adaptive Social Protection: Technical and Policy Considerations”, the forum is organized by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), in partnership with the World Bank, the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Food Programme (WFP)
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