Context
Under the second component (Raising awareness for the benefits of an EII-System amongst the citizens especially via journalists, and civil society organisations), the Shurokkha project has been associated with Asiatic Exp since January 2021. In cooperation with the project, Asiatic Exp would organise three (03) round table discussions in collaboration with well reputed media houses of the country such as Prothom Alo, Daily Star etc. Asiatic would collaborate with the media houses on venue arrangement, venue branding and refreshment arrangements. 

The participants for these round table discussions would be invited in consultation with the project Shurokkha while Asiatic would facilitate and confirm the participation of the key-guests. 

Purpose and objectives

As part of the awareness raising, the first round table discussions to be organised under the following scope of topics and objectives: 

Topic – Social Security: The new frontier for the middle income country aspiration for Bangladesh 

Bangladesh is well in track for achieving its middle-income country ambitions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a dent on the plans. While the country has coped well in dealing with the economic shocks specially through leveraging its well experienced system of cash transfer programmes. However, when it came to the working population specially those engaged in formal employment, the government did not have existing system that can be used to provide assistance. Many countries used their existing social insurance schemes to reach out to the formal sector employees. 

The Covid-19 situation therefore has demonstrated the necessity of well-established social security schemes – not only to allow for the distribution of emergency funds to vulnerable people in an efficient and timely manner during crises, but also to enable the implementation of other social protection services as defined in the National Social Security Strategy. Without it, various life-cycle risks such as maternity, sickness, unemployment and old-age poverty remain unaddressed, leading to deprivation on the individual level and huge economic inefficiencies on the societal level. 

Through the keynote and the subsequent discussion, the objective is to reemphasise the need for investing in the social security of the formal sector employees. 

Date and time 
Round table – 01: Tuesday, 15th March 2022, at 11:00 – 13:00 

Venue
Level-10, Prothom Alo office, Karwan Bazar

Participants