The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, has highlighted Bangladesh’s initiatives on social protection that have been implemented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Ambassador Momen addressed a side event, as part of the ongoing 57th Commission for Social Development (CSocD), held at the UN Headquarters on “Social Protection as a Strategy for Addressing Inequalities and Challenges to Social Inclusion” in New York, on Wednesday.
He said that the government has formulated a comprehensive National Social Security Strategy to consolidate all the safety net programs.
In his words: “We are providing regular allowances to 6.5 million [people, including]: elderly men and women, widows, destitute women, and persons with disabilities. This is a strategy adopted to alleviate poverty in the country.”
The Ambassador said: “Immediately after our independence, the-then Prime Minister and the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman identified cooperatives as one of the tools to integrate people in the development of the country and rebuild its economy.”.
Momen elaborated that a prime example of a successful cooperative initiated at that time—and still operating—is Milk Vita, a national leading cooperative in Bangladesh.
He furthered that Sheikh Hasina’s government has established agricultural, fisheries, and weavers' cooperatives—as well as industrial cooperative societies—for the socio-economic development of the poor, following the development blueprint of the Father of the Nation.
Holding Bangladesh as the role model of women’s empowerment, the Ambassador said that the government has focused on the skill development of the people—particularly women—and has been creating job opportunities for them.
He emphasized the need for: resources, institutions, capacity, technology, plus—most importantly—political commitment to address the challenges of inequality and social exclusion.
The event was moderated by NGO representative Winifred Doherty; while Daniela Bas, director, DESA Division of Inclusive Social Development; Barry Herman, professor, New School for Social Research; Dr Lovette Ego, Worldwide Network Nigeria; Andrew Allimadi, Coordinator Cooperative Issues, DESA DISD; and Dr Ify Ofong, Worldwide Network Nigeria spoke as panelists.