There is no shortcut to graduated approach, it needs long-term investment in Multisectoral approach (MSA) for marginalized groups.
The message was presented at a seminar titled “Breaking the Poverty Cycle: Lessons from Graduation Approaches” jointly organized by Brac, Care, Save the Children, Handicap International, and World Vision, at Spectra Convention Hall in Gulshan on Monday.
Sheikh Shahed Rahman, Chief of Party, SUCHANA program, and Save the Children, led the common presentation on behalf of five practitioners (International NGOs) highlighting common impacts from working experience, key operational challenges, and policy recommendations at the program.
The presentation recommended NGOs to make policy changes including development measures for marginalized groups (children, women, disabled), more effective and inclusive national targeting system, and to establish formal graduation or conclusive poverty reduction coordination platform across multiple sectors.
It also recommended using a cost-benefit analysis of graduation packages so that the government can assess the feasibility of scaled up, and incentivized private sector partnerships to improve market access, said Sheikh Shahed Rahman.
Akhter Ahmed, Country Representative for Bangladesh, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), suggested to find factors that entrap people in poverty.
According to data from IFPRI, and Bangladesh Institute of Health Services (BIHS), Bangladesh has achieved strong poverty reduction, but the pace of reduction had fallen 1.7 percentage points lower, per year between 2005 to 2010, and 1.2 percentage points lower per year during 2010 to 2016.
Md Faizul Islam, Joint Chief of General Economics Division (Ged) at the Planning Commission, Dr Sharif Ahmed Chowdhury, General Manager of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), and Dr Muhammad Shahadat, Livelihood & Nutrition Advisor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka led a panel discussion followed by the market place presentation by five practitioners.
