A feasibility study on the potential use of cash-based social protection systems for floods in Bangladesh

This report examines the feasibility of integrating cash-based shock-responsive social protection programmes (SRSP) within flood contingency plans in Bangladesh. Data was collected over a period of 7 months between December 2021 and June 2022. The study has explored how national social protection (SP) programmes can be used for Forecast-based Financing/Action (FbF/A) before floods, as well as for responding immediately after an event. The programmes discussed include:

1. Old Age Allowance (OAA), under the Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW)
2. Allowance for Widowed, Deserted and Destitute women (VA), MoSW
3. Disability Allowance (DA), MoSW
4. Gratuitous Relief (GR), an emergency relief programme by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR)

The following two different contingency plans are discussed as possible entry points for these SP programmes:

1. the FbF/A system established since 2015 by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), German Red Cross, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Food Programme
2. the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team Nexus Strategy (2021–2025).

The study concluded that there is a potential role for SRSP in contingency planning for floods, with all four of the schemes preselected having the potential to be used for early action and immediate response. The OAA, VA and DA are the three schemes that are more practical given the recent efforts of the MoSW in digitizing registrations, verifications, and payment mechanisms. Additionally, although the Employment Generation Programmes for Poorest (EGPP) was not initially selected due to its lack of suitability for FbF/A, it does have potential to be shock responsive for floods.

BDRCS and other key stakeholders can build upon the tremendous efforts of the Government of Bangladesh and its partners to increase SP coverage to the most vulnerable communities, and strengthen existing services.