USAID hosts workshop on National Social Safety Nets

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy project facilitated a technical workshop on National Social Safety Nets.

The workshop was held on September 18, 2022, at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka, said a press release.

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 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 level. 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).

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.