Speakers at a national dialogue on Tuesday stressed the urgent need to make social protection programmes disability-inclusive in the context of increasing disaster and climate risks, calling for policy reforms, dedicated budgets and stronger coordination among government agencies.
The national dialogue, titled “Disability-Inclusive Social Protection in the Context of Disaster and Climate Change,” was held at the BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka.
It was organised by Access Bangladesh Foundation, with support from CBM Global Bangladesh and Nabolok Parishad under the project “Establishing Disaster-Resilient Communities in Satkhira.”
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare Md Kamal Uddin Biswas attended the programme as the chief guest. He said existing social protection programmes must be comprehensively reviewed from a disability inclusion perspective to assess their effectiveness and introduce necessary reforms.
Director of the Department of Disaster Management Nitai Chandra De Sarkar said the research findings and recommendations of Access Bangladesh Foundation would be considered during the review of the Standing Orders on Disaster 2019 and the National Disaster Management Plan 2026–2030. He added that there is scope to further include persons with disabilities in social protection programmes implemented under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
Director of Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Dr Mohammad Nazmul Haque said the trust is keen to work jointly with NGOs and government agencies to address the impacts of climate change on persons with disabilities.
Assistant Director of the Department of Women Affairs Sharmin Ara said a social protection project is currently being implemented in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, and pledged to include more persons with disabilities, particularly women with disabilities, while ensuring disability-disaggregated data collection.
Deputy Director of the National Disability Development Foundation Md Faruk Ahmed said the foundation would work in closer coordination with the Ministry of Social Welfare to strengthen disability-inclusive social protection initiatives.
The programme was chaired by Access Bangladesh Foundation co-founder and chairperson Mohua Paul, who said meaningful progress would not be possible unless negative perceptions about the capabilities of persons with disabilities among duty bearers are changed.
Co-founder and Executive Director Albert Mollah said policymakers must move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and adopt life-cycle-based social protection systems tailored to the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
Access Bangladesh Foundation Head of Programme Md Sohel Rana presented a keynote paper highlighting the current status of social safety net programmes, challenges in disability inclusion, and necessary actions. He said that in the 2025–26 fiscal year, 95 social safety net programmes are being implemented under 24 ministries and divisions, of which only seven are disability-related and just one directly targets persons with disabilities.
Participants identified major challenges at policy and implementation levels, including lack of disability-disaggregated data, inadequate budget allocation, weak coordination among ministries, irregularities in beneficiary selection, accessibility barriers, and weak monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
They agreed that the social protection budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year must be made more inclusive and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.
AU/BP
