On 19-20 February 2025, a two-day workshop titled “National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS) of Bangladesh: Capacity Building and Stocktaking” was held in Dhaka. Organized by the Cabinet Division with technical assistance from ILO-UNDP, SSPS Programme, and DFAT, the workshop convened 57 key stakeholders from government ministries, employers’ organizations, trade unions, development partners, UN agencies, and research institutions.

Key Objectives:

• Enhance understanding of social insurance concepts and global best practices.
• Facilitate social dialogue among government, employers, workers, and development partners.
• Take stock of studies and actions taken on NSIS development.
• Identify priorities and next steps for NSIS implementation.

Key Findings:

• Necessity of NSIS: Social insurance is critical for building an inclusive and resilient society, particularly as Bangladesh moves towards middle-income status.
• Progress & Challenges: While Bangladesh has made strides in social protection (NSSS 2015-2025), implementation of contributory social insurance remains slow due to challenges in integrating informal sector workers, financial sustainability, inter-agency coordination, data infrastructure, and targeting inefficiencies.
• Global Best Practices: Experts shared international examples, emphasizing the need for a Bangladesh-specific adaptation.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Strengthening partnerships between government, employers, and workers is essential.
• Informal Sector Inclusion: Extending coverage to informal workers emerged as a top priority.
• Funding Challenges: The current social welfare budget may not be sustainable in the long term.

Key Recommendations:

The workshop concluded with a strong commitment from stakeholders to accelerate NSIS implementation, ensuring a more inclusive and resilient social protection system for Bangladesh with following recommendations:

1. Roadmap for Comprehensive NSIS: Finalize and implement a detailed roadmap by 2025, incorporating global best practices.
2. Strengthen Coordination: Improve inter-ministerial coordination and stakeholder engagement for effective program execution.
3.  Integration of Informal Sector: Develop strategies for formalizing informal work and expanding coverage. 
4. Ensure Public Financing Sustainability: Explore funding mechanisms, including contributory schemes and government co-financing to strengthen public funding mechanism to build trust and long-term viability.
5. Enhance Data Infrastructure: Improve data collection and management systems for effective targeting and implementation monitoring.
6. Address the Social Protection floors:  Ensure social protection floor including contributory natures of social insurance reaches every citizen. 
7. Learn from Best Practices: Study and adapt social insurance systems from regional, international and neighbors such as India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 
8. Inclusion in NSSS 2026 and beyond: Incorporate clear social insurance policy directions for formal and informal sectors’ inclusion and sustainability.