FRANKFURT: Conference on Social Protection and Emergency Safety Net Response, arranged by the World Bank, started in Germany’s city Frankfurt here on Monday.
Minister for State and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) Marvi Memon represented Pakistan in the conference. She highlighted the efforts of Pakistan government related to social safety net programs.
Delegates from 70 countries attended the workshop and shared their experiences on social protection.
Memon, while briefing the forum, said that Pakistan is among the top 10 adversely impacted countries due to the climate change as evidenced by several earthquakes, floods and droughts. Moreover, due to the militancy crises in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan also has a large number of Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) who are being supported by the government, she added.
In case of disasters, BISP is managing a social protection program for about 5.4 Million families living below the poverty line to provide extended support to the existing beneficiaries. She said that BISP is well equipped with the required infrastructure having a complete beneficiary database in the form Socio-Economic Registry which includes beneficiaries’ biometric information. It has more than 450 functional offices in the country with 2500 experienced staff members with a capacity to respond to those in need more in an efficient manner, she explained.
She further informed the participants that in order to address the catastrophic events, a National Disaster Response Action Plan (NDRAP) was developed by the Pakistan government which guides country’s adaptive safety net model on natural and man-made disasters. This helps the government to respond quickly to any disaster and address the needs of the affected population, she said.
She said that Pakistan has been appreciated in handling refugees, and in the future, both BISP and National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) intend to enter into partnership for effective shock responsiveness.
Memon also highlighted the efforts Pakistan government in addressing the emergency needs of TDPs of FATA with the help of World Bank through a transparent mechanism. She also highlighted the steps taken by the government for the rehabilitation of TDPs by providing housing damage compensation to affected families.
Other Pakistani representatives, World Bank vice-president, Germany’s parliamentary state secretary to the federal minister for economic cooperation and development and Egypt’s Social Protection minister also addressed the conference.
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