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Last modified on Monday, 26 September 2022 00:00

Workshop reintroduces GO-NGO Collaboration Platform Featured

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Workshop reintroduces GO-NGO Collaboration Platform

Right targeting must to shun resource misuse

Social safety net programmes design should have components to assist people to learn skills for income generation to become self-dependent, which will help them reduce their dependence gradually on safety net assistance. Also targeting the right people for receiving safety net assistance is a must for proper utilisation of the public funding. The social security system in Bangladesh, however, deals with errors of exclusion (failure to reach the needy) and errors of inclusion (providing aid to the non-needy), which leads to misplacement of resources.

These observations were drawn at the “Workshop on GO-NGO collaboration platform for strengthening social protection programmes” today on Sunday (25 September) at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka. Jointly organised by BRAC and the Cabinet Division of Bangladesh, the event had Shamsul Arefin, secretary (coordination and reform), Cabinet Division, as chief guest.

KAM Morshed, senior director, BRAC, Mohammad Khaled Hasan, joint secretary, Cabinet Division, Tapan Kumar Biswas, director, NGO Affairs Bureau, other government officials from different ministries, and representatives of 17 member NGOs of the GO-NGO Collaboration Platform were also present at the workshop.

In his opening remarks, BRAC senior director KAM Morshed said, “Despite its beginning with full vigour in 2018-19, the GO-NGO Collaboration Platform lost its momentum due to Covid induced lockdown. Through today’s workshop, we are trying to reintroduce the activities of the forum.”

“The government spends 2.55 percent of the GDP on social safety net programmes. However, in rapidly progressing countries like Bangladesh, a segment of the population in remote places usually fall behind. NGOs work for them, with them. This aligns with the SDG commitment of ‘leaving no-one behind’ and poverty alleviation,” he further said.

Cabinet secretary for coordination and reform Shamsul Arefin in his chief guest’s remarks said, “Article 15, Clause D of Bangladesh Constitution deals with the vision of creating a country free of poverty, hunger and exploitation. In 2015 the government formulated the National Social Security Strategy for the poor and marginalised.”

He further said, “We cannot achieve the goal without building consensus with NGOs, who have been the most essential partners of the government. They are complimenting the government in its struggle to eradicate poverty. The cabinet division has taken initiatives to institutionalise GO-NGO Collaboration Platform and deeply appreciates the support from BRAC.”

Joint secretary Mohammad Khaled Hasan discussed the scopes of collaboration between the government and development organisations. “A combination of social safety net and social security ladder provides both capital and training, thus the recipients utilise their resources to never fall back to the cycle of poverty,” Khaled said.

Participants in the workshop engaged in a dialogue to identify areas where NGOs can play the role of associate or subsidiary to the government. NGOs can play a key role in monitoring and evaluation and by taking the information and data gathered from the grassroots to policymakers, they observed. A key discussion also took place on “better targeting” to avoid misplacement of assistance.

To facilitate the mechanism of the social safety net in Bangladesh, the GO-NGO Collaboration Platform was introduced, with BRAC as the lead NGO. Thirteen representatives from ministries and agencies implementing social security programmes and 17 NGOs working on social security issues are part of the platform.

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