ZCZC
BSS-41
DISASTER-MANAGEMENT-SYMPOSIUM
Building resilient communities through safety nets stressed
DHAKA, Sept 2, 2019 (BSS) – A symposium on adaptive social protection today brought together ministers, academia and representatives from development partners, think-tanks and UN agencies, extensively dwelling on how the benefits can be derived from social safety nets to help build resilient communities.
The high-profile participants made a plea to make the social safety nets to take roots in addressing climate change and helping Bangladesh achieve the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
They were of the views that clear guidelines should be directed to focusing the ills of poverty and vulnerabilities.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) organized the symposium titled “Symposium on Adaptive Social Protection: Technical and Policy Considerations” in association 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), said a WFP press release here.
“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, State Minister for 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,” he added.
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 under poverty line, including 20 million people under 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,” Dandan added.
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, he said, adding that 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, the World Bank country director said.
Head of DFID Bangladesh Judith Herbertson said “Because of its unique geographic location, Bangladesh will continue facing adverse effects of global warming and climate change in the future”.
DFID is very happy to be a partner of the Bangladesh government to address the needs of vulnerable and marginalized people through implementing a range of social protection schemes, such as adaptive social protection, he added.
WFP Country Director Richard Ragan said “It is a great platform for us to examine social protection, disaster risk management and climate change in a holistic manner”.
“The discussions and experience-sharing will help us determining the future direction of adaptive social protection and how it can contribute to the national development agenda in Bangladesh,” he added.
BSS/PR/SAH/KU/2105 HRS