The National Conference on Social Protection 2025, to be held from 1–3 September 2025 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre, will provide a high-level platform to revisit and shape the future of Bangladesh’s social protection system as the National Social Security Strategy (2015–2026) nears its conclusion. Guided by the theme “A Journey Towards an Equitable Society”, the conference will unite government, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to assess progress, share innovations, and chart a path toward a more inclusive, shock-responsive, and sustainable framework. Through multi-stakeholder dialogues, it will generate actionable recommendations for the post-2026 strategy, reinforcing Bangladesh’s commitment to poverty reduction, gender equality, and climate resilience.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Monday, 1 September 2025
Inaugural Session
Venue: Hall of Fame
| Chief Guest | Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud Hon’ble Adviser, Ministry of Planning |
| Special Guest | Mr. Faruk E Azam, Bir Protik Hon’ble Adviser, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and Ministry of Liberation War Affairs |
| Chair | Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Division |
| Guests of Honour | – Dr. Md. Mokhles ur Rahman Senior Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration – Dr. Monzur Hossain, Member (Secretary) General Economics Division, Bangladesh Planning Commission – H.E. Mr. Michael Miller Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh – H. E. Mr. Clinton Pobke Deputy High Commissioner, Australian Government – Mr. Stefan Liller Resident Representative, UNDP |
Session – 1: Institutional Perspectives: Social Protection Progress and Future Priorities
Venue: Hall of Fame
| Chair | Ms. Zaheda Parveen Secretary, Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division |
| Moderator | Mr. Mohammad Khaled Hasan Additional Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division |
Thematic Clusters
- Social Allowance
- Labour and Livelihood Intervention
- Food Security and Disaster Assistance
- Social Insurance
- Social Empowerment and Human Development
| 14:00 – 15:30 | Discussants – Cabinet Division – Ministry of Social Welfare – Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief – Ministry of Food – Ministry of Finance – Ministry of Labour and Employment – Ministry of Primary and Mass Education |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Open Discussion |
| 15:20 – 15:30 | Remarks from the Chair |
Session – 2: Strengthening Governance of Social Protection
Venue: Hall of Fame
| Chair | Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder Secretary, Finance Division |
| Discussants | Professor Sayema Haque Bidisha Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka Ms. Hasina Begum Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF Ms. Sheela Tasneem Haq Senior Governance Specialist, UNDP Ms. Shrayana Bhattacharya Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Mr. Aminul Mohaimen MIS Expert of the EU-funded Technical Assistance to Support Social Protection Budget Support |
| Moderator | Mr. Anowarul Haq Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Paper 1: Journey Towards Equitable Society: Social Security Budget Report 2025-26 Presenter: Md Rajibul Ahsan, Deputy Secretary, Finance Division |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | Paper 2: National Social Protection Progress: NSSS M&E Framework and Core Diagnostic Instrument (CODI) Presenter: Mr. Mohammad Khaled Hasan, Additional Secretary |
| 16:00 – 16:15 | Paper 3: Single Registry MIS and Dynamic Social Registries Presenter: Abul Basher Md. Amir Uddin, Joint Secretary, Finance Division |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Paper 4: Presentation Poverty Map of Bangladesh Presenter: Mr. Masud Rana, Additional Secretary, Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Open Discussion |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Discussant’s Remarks |
| 17:00 – 17:10 | Remarks from the Chair |
Thursday, 2 September 2025
Session – 3: Expanding Horizon of Social Protection
Venue: Carnival Hall
| Chair | Dr. Monzur Hossain Member (Secretary), General Economics Division, Bangladesh Planning Commission |
| Discussants | Mr. Owais Parray Country Economic Advisor, UNDP Professor Dr. Kazi Maruful Islam Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka Mr. Asif Kashem Senior Program Manager, Development Cooperation, Australian High Commission Dr. Mohammad Yunus Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr. Imran Matin Executive Director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University |
| Moderator | Mr. Tanvir Mahmud Senior Governance Specialist, UNDP |
| 09:30 – 09:50 | Paper 5: Barriers to Accessing Social Protection Presenter: Dr. Abdur Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID, and Director, PRI |
| 09:50 – 10:10 | Paper 6: Re-strategizing Bangladesh’s Social Protection Presenter: Dr. Abdur Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID, and Director, PRI |
| 10:10 – 10:30 | Open Discussion |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Discussant’s Remarks |
| 10:50 – 11:00 | Remarks from the Chair |
Session – 4: Urban Poverty and Inclusive Social Protection Strategies
Venue: Carnival Hall
| Chair | Mr. Md Rezaul Maksud Jahedi Secretary, Local Government Division |
| Discussants | Mr. ABM Feroz Ahmed Livelihoods Adviser, FCDO, British High Commission, Dhaka Mr. Anowarul Haq Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP Professor Sharmind Neelormi Department of Economics, Jahangirnagar University Mr. Aminul Arifeen Programme Manager, SSPS Programme, UNDP |
| Moderator | Mr. Sarder M Asaduzzaman Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP |
| 11:15 – 11:35 | Paper 7: Understanding Urban Poverty and Strengthening Social Protection for Urban Poor and Vulnerable Population Presenter: Dr. M A Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID and Director, PRI |
| 11:35 – 11:55 | Paper 8: Urban Poverty and the Social Security Needs of the Urban Poor and Urban Social Protection Strategy for Bangladesh Presenter: Mr. Mohammad Khaled Hasan, Additional Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division |
| 11:55 – 12:10 | Paper 9: Effect of a parenting and nutrition education programme on development and growth of children using a social safety-net platform in urban Bangladesh: A Cluster randomized controlled trial Presenter: Mr. Sheikh Jamal Hossain, Scientist Maternal, New-born and Child Health, Maternal and Child Health Division |
| 12:10 – 12:35 | Open Discussion |
| 12:35 – 12:50 | Discussant’s Remarks |
| 12:50 – 13:00 | Closing Remarks from Session Chair |
Session – 5: Adaptive Social Protection and Mitigation: Bangladesh Perspective
Venue: Carnival Hall
| Chair | Ms. Zaheda Parveen Secretary, Coordination & Reforms, Cabinet Division |
| Discussants | Mr. Mohd. Monirul Islam Additional Secretary, Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Ms. Murshida Sharmin Joint Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division Professor Dr. M. Rezaul Islam Department of Social Work, University of Dhaka Mr. Siddiqul Islam Khan Lead of Resilience and Innovation at WFP Bangladesh |
| Moderator | Ms. Maliha Muzammil Programme Specialist, Climate Change, UNDP |
| 14:00 – 14:20 | Paper 10: Towards A Shock-responsive Social Protection System in Bangladesh Presenter: Dr. Mahfuz Kabir, Director (Research), BIISS |
| 14:20 – 14:40 | Paper 11: Strategic Guidelines and Action Plans for Adaptive Social Protection in Bangladesh Presenter: Mr. Mohammad Khaled Hasan, Additional Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division |
| 14:40 – 15:10 | Open Discussion |
| 15:10 – 15:20 | Discussants’ Remarks |
| 15:20 – 15:30 | Closing Remarks from Session Chair |
Session 6: Towards Sustainable Social Protection
Venue: Carnival Hall
| Chair | Secretary Ministry of Labour and Employment |
| Discussants | Mr. Md. Abdus Samad Al Azad Joint Secretary, Head of Social Security Unit, MoLE Mr. Saad Gilani Technical Adviser, ILO, Dhaka, Bangladesh Dr. Silvia Popp Project Manager, Employment Injury Protection Scheme, GIZ Mr. Badal Khan Chairperson, National Coordination Committee for Workers Education Mr. Fazle Shamim Ehsan President, Bangladesh Employers Foundation |
| Moderator | Mr. Aminul Arifeen Programme Manager, SSPS Programme, UNDP |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Paper 12: Reviewing the National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS) Framework: Towards Feasible Models for Bangladesh Presenter: Dr. M A Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | Paper 13: Employment Injury Scheme: Evidence from Pilot Presenter: Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director, CPD |
| 16:00 – 16:15 | Paper 14: Maternity Protection and Childcare System in Bangladesh Presenter: Ms. Taslima Yeasmin, Associate Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Paper 15: Review of Migrant Workers’ Access to Existing Social Protection Initiatives & Recommendations for Improvement Presenter: Ms. Rahnuma Salam Khan, National Programme Manager, ILO-Dhaka |
| 16:30 – 16:40 | Paper 16: Towards an Unemployment Insurance Scheme in Bangladesh: A Roadmap Presenter: Farjana Reza, National Programme Officer, Social Protection, ILO CO-Dhaka |
| 16:40 – 17:00 | Open Discussion |
| 17:00 – 17:15 | Discussants’ Remarks |
| 17:15 – 17:30 | Closing Remarks from Session Chair |
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Parallel Session 1: Gender in Social Protection
Venue: Carnival Hall
| Chair | Ms. Mamtaz Ahmed, NDC Senior Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs |
| Discussants | Dr. Md. Monirul Islam Joint Secretary, National Project Director, SWAPNO, Local Government Division Mr. Ikramul H. Sohel Senior Programme Officer (Inclusive Economic Development) Sida, Sweden Mr. Asif Kashem Senior Program Manager, Development Cooperation, Australian High Commission Ms. Maheen Sutan Senior Fellow, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University |
| Moderator | Ms. Sharmin Islam Gender Analyst, UNDP |
| 09:30 – 09:40 | Paper 17: Gender-responsive Social Protection: Diagnostics, Strategy, and Plan Presenter: Ms. Ferdousi Sultana Begum, Gender Specialist |
| 09:40 – 10:00 | Paper 18: SWAPNO Women: Gender Equality Framework Analysis Presenter: Ms. Arju Afrin Kathy, Research Officer, Social Security Policy Support (SSPS) Programme, UNDP |
| 10:00 – 10:20 | Paper 19: ICVGD – Building Women Empowerment and Resilience Presenter: Mr. Md. Firoz Uddin Khalifa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs |
| 10:20 – 10:35 | Open Discussion |
| 10:35 – 10:50 | Discussant’s Remarks |
| 10:50 – 11:00 | Closing Remarks from Session Chair |
Parallel Session 2: Voices from the Ground: NGO Perspectives on Social Protection Reform
Venue: Media Bazar
| Chair | Dr. Mohammad Abu Yusuf Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare |
| Discussants | Mr. Md. Daud Miah, ndc Director General, NGO Affairs Bureau Ms. Amrita Rejina Rozario Country Director, Sightsavers Mr. Bijoy Krishna Debnath Managing Director (Additional Secretary), National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons Professor Dr. M. Abu Eusuf Department of Development Studies & Executive Director, RAPID |
| Moderator | Mr. Khandaker Jahurul Alam Executive Director, Centre for Services and Information on Disability |
| 09:30 – 09:40 | Paper 20: Social Protection Framework for Persons with Disability Presenter: Mr. Aminul Arifeen, Programme Manager, Social Security Policy Support (SSPS) Programme, UNDP |
| 09:40 – 10:00 | Paper 21: Non-State Actor Report on Social Protection: A Mapping of Social Protection Needs for the Marginalized Communities in Bangladesh Presenter: Mr. Aminul Arifeen, Programme Manager, SSPS Programme, UNDP |
| 10:00 – 10:20 | Paper 22: Persons with Disability: Two Decades of Experience Presenter: Mr. Ayon Debnath, Campaign Adviser, Sightsavers |
| 10:20 – 11:00 | Open Discussion |
| 10:35 – 10:50 | Discussant’s Remarks |
| 10:50 – 11:00 | Closing Remarks from Session Chair |
Venue: Carnival Hall
Concluding Session: Building an Inclusive Future: Reflections & Conference Declaration
| 11:30 – 11:40 | Opening Remarks: Secretary Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Presentation: Salient Features of Bangladesh Social Security Conference 2025 and Conference Declaration Presenter: Mr. Mohammad Khaled Hasan, Additional Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Wrap-up |
| Speech by Guests of Honour | |
| Ms. Sonali Dayaratne Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP | |
| Mr. Syed Haider First Secretary and Head of Development, Australian High Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh | |
| Dr. Mohammad Abu Yusuf Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare | |
| Dr. Monzur Hossain Member (Secretary), General Economics Division, Bangladesh Planning Commission | |
| Ms. Mamtaz Ahmed, NDC Senior Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs | |
| 12:30 – 12:45 | Speech by Chief Guest Ms. Sharmeen S. Murshid Hon’ble Adviser, Ministry of Social Welfare and Ministry of Women and Children Affairs |
| 12:45 – 13:00 | Closing Remarks from the Chair Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Division |
| 13:00 – 13:05 | Vote of Thanks Ms. Murshida Sharmin Joint Secretary, Coordination Wing, Cabinet Division |
Closing of the National Conference on Social Protection 2025 with Lunch
