Despite the extra-ordinary achievements in terms of the income growth, human development and vulnerability reduction, poverty, especially the urban one, has remained a major challenge for Bangladesh. Urban poverty, with its distinct features and a stagnant rate of in recent years, remains an active threat for the overall human development of the country. Urban poverty, being distinct from rural poverty in many ways, thus require customized social protection programs contextualized with the local needs. It is only in recent years that the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) has aimed to extend the social protection supports for the urban poor by proposing old age pensions, disability benefits, and child benefits to both urban and rural areas in equal measures

Research Objectives

• To identify reasons behind the high rate of exclusion for urban poor in accessing social protection programmes
• Analysis of best international practices of implementing and operating national urban social security programmes.
• Analysis of the needs of the urban-poor and preparation of recommendations for an NSSS urban policy job markets e
  Methodological approaches
• In-depth literature review: Both quantitative and qualitative data including journals.
• Questionnaire survey in Dhaka and Chattogram Cities: A questionnaire survey has been conducted among 200 urban
  poor households in Dhaka and Chittagong cities by using structured questionnaires
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): The study team has conducted10 KIIs among NSSS related GoB officials and
  UNDP of
• Focus Group Discussion (FGDs):Four(4) FGDs conducted with the beneficiary groups in slums of Dhaka