Abstract
The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has committed to developing a National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) during 2012. A proposed Action Plan to achieve this is described in Report 1: Proposed Action Plan for Building a National Social Protection Strategy , with a focus on the actions required by Government to achieve this ambitious timeline. Report 2 sets out a proposal for development partner (DP) support to the strategy development process. The recommendations are based on the findings of the mission by the same team that developed the proposed GoB Action Plan; they are primarily addressed to the four development partners who sponsored that mission (UNDP, WFP, DFID and AusAID), but are equally applicable to others interested in supporting the strategy development process.
The Action Plan was structured around four phases. The recommendations for development partner support follow the same structure, but also provide some guidance on the overall approach and possible institutional arrangement for funding allocations. They recognise both the need for close coordination between development partners to maximise value-for-money, and the capacity and political economy constraints associated with such a major reform. The estimated total DP contribution to strategy development is around USD 500,000, a very modest investment for an effective National Strategy to be developed. Table 1 summarises potential donor activity, deadlines and indicative costs. Given the passage of time, this agenda needs to be expedited rapidly.
In addition, this report makes proposals for setting-up an NSPS funding and donor coordination mechanism. This will operate as a quickly disbursing challenge fund, whereby donors would contribute to a single-pot and a Steering Committee would decide on individual allocations on the basis of some degree of competition between applicants and priorities. It is recommended the Committee also include GoB representatives, so as to promote national ownership alongside securing value for money and fiduciary requirements.
The Action Plan was structured around four phases. The recommendations for development partner support follow the same structure, but also provide some guidance on the overall approach and possible institutional arrangement for funding allocations. They recognise both the need for close coordination between development partners to maximise value-for-money, and the capacity and political economy constraints associated with such a major reform. The estimated total DP contribution to strategy development is around USD 500,000, a very modest investment for an effective National Strategy to be developed. Table 1 summarises potential donor activity, deadlines and indicative costs. Given the passage of time, this agenda needs to be expedited rapidly.
In addition, this report makes proposals for setting-up an NSPS funding and donor coordination mechanism. This will operate as a quickly disbursing challenge fund, whereby donors would contribute to a single-pot and a Steering Committee would decide on individual allocations on the basis of some degree of competition between applicants and priorities. It is recommended the Committee also include GoB representatives, so as to promote national ownership alongside securing value for money and fiduciary requirements.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Publisher | UNDP |
Number of pages | 24 |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2013 |
Keywords
- social protection