A Consultation Workshop on a Reflective Overview of the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) was held on 23 January 2025 in the Hotel InterContinental, Dhaka. The respected Cabinet Secretary, Sheikh Abdur Rashid graced the occasion as the chief guest. Mr. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Secretary, Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division chaired the the workshop. Workshop participants included a diverse group of key stakeholders, comprising Secretaries from the ministries leading the five thematic clusters of the NSSS, Social Security Focal Points from relevant implementing ministries, officials from the Cabinet Division, and Social Security Policy Support (SSPS) project officials directly involved in the implementation of the NSSS. This diverse representation ensured a comprehensive and multi-faceted review of the strategy and its implementation progress.

The National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) of Bangladesh, introduced in 2015, provides a roadmap for lifecycle-based social protection for vulnerable citizens of the country. It aims to combat poverty, vulnerability, and marginalization, ultimately elevating the living standards of disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, women, children, and low-income households.

This holistic strategy, aligned with the social protection floors initiatives, adopted by the UN Chief Executives Board in 2009, is firmly committed to poverty reduction and sustainable development. The NSSS has made significant progress in expanding social safety nets and introducing social empowerment.

However, continuous improvement is needed to ensure equitable distribution of benefits. With the second phase of the NSSS action plan (2021-2026) underway, and nine years passed since its inception, a review is timely. Therefore, a workshop with key implementing ministries was crucial to grab an overview of the NSSS implementation progress, identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement and strengthen collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.

Workshop Objectives:

• Assess progress in the implementation of NSSS across various programmes, evaluating impact on target populations;
• Identify achievements and challenges, documenting best practices while flagging key bottlenecks;
• Reaffirm the relevance of the NSSS in light of evolving socio-economic conditions and emerging vulnerabilities.

Key Outcomes and Strategic Decisions:

• Government commitment to streamline 140 social security schemes by reducing overlap and improving administrative efficiency;
• Thematic clusters will conduct in-depth reviews to determine which programmes should be continued, merged, or phased out;
• A meeting of the Central Management Committee (CMC) will be convened to operationalize workshop decisions;
• Rapid impact assessments will be undertaken for programmes lacking adequate evaluation data;
• Workshop recommendations will directly inform the design and formulation of the NSSS
  2026+.

The workshop is expected to enhance understanding of the NSSS among implementing ministry officials, fostering a shared comprehension of its goals, implementation progress, and challenges. It facilitated collaborative identification of bottlenecks and builds consensus on future actions to address them. Ultimately, the workshop aims to strengthen collaboration and generate actionable recommendations for a more effective and impactful social security system in Bangladesh.