Bangladesh is witnessing a marked increase in the frequency and intensity of climatic events, leading to substantial losses in lives, assets, and livelihoods. A recent report by The Daily Star highlighted that the country endured 15 climatic events between May 2023 and September 2024. These included four cyclones, nine floods, several episodes of heavy rainfall, and extreme temperature events like heat waves and cold waves. In response to these escalating challenges, advancing adaptive social protection (ASP) has emerged as an urgent priority, complementing ongoing climate mitigation and adaptation efforts to address the growing impacts of climate change.

ASP enhances the resilience of climate-vulnerable households by strengthening three capacities: preparing for, coping with, and adapting to climatic and other shocks.[i] Its development is driven by several complementary factors: i) the proven success of social protection measures, particularly cash transfers, in reducing poverty and building resilience; ii) the shared objective of resilience-building across social protection, disaster risk management (DRM), and climate adaptation; iii) the increasing use of cash transfers in disaster response over the past two decades; and iv) the potential to leverage social protection mechanisms, such as beneficiary registries and digital payment systems, for rapid cash delivery to disaster-affected individuals.

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Despite their complementarities, social protection, DRM and climate adaptation have distinct objectives. Social protection primarily focuses on poverty reduction, with resilience-building as a secondary outcome. However, its reliance on poverty-based indicators for beneficiary selection often excludes climate-vulnerable households who fall outside these criteria. In contrast, DRM prioritises resilience through interventions such as infrastructure development, preparedness, and disaster response. After a shock, DRM aims to restore livelihoods and help communities "bounce back" to their pre-shock state. Climate adaptation takes a broader approach, enabling communities to "bounce forward" by addressing climate vulnerabilities and fostering sustainable development through strategies like improving economic conditions, promoting human capital, and facilitating migration to safer areas. ASP leverages the complementarities among these approaches while addressing their gaps to establish a comprehensive framework for addressing the impact of climate change.

Since adopting the National Social Protection Strategy (NSSS) in 2015, Bangladesh has established a life cycle-based social protection system that addresses risks faced at different stages of life, including pregnancy, early childhood, school age, disability, and old age. Key programmes under this framework include the Mother and Child Benefit Programme (MCBP), the Primary Education Stipend Programme (PESP), the Disability Allowance programme, the Widow Allowance programme, and the Old Age Allowance Programme (OAA). These are complemented by several DRM-related schemes such as Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), the Employment Generation Programme for the Poor (EGPP), Food for Work, Work for Money, Test Relief, and Gratuitous Relief. Both life cycle and DRM-related programmes are well-developed, featuring extensive coverage, substantial funding, digital beneficiary registries, and mobile-based payment systems, strongly positioning Bangladesh for a transition to ASP.

Bangladesh may explore the following pathways to establish a robust ASP framework.

First, implement universal coverage for life cycle programmes in climate-vulnerable areas. Providing ongoing and long-term cash transfers to vulnerable groups (e.g. children, persons with disabilities, widows, and the elderly) would significantly enhance their resilience. Currently, over 70 percent of deserving poor people are excluded from social protection due to a flawed selection process based on proxy poverty indicators such as housing conditions and visible assets. International evidence shows that these methods exclude 29-96 percent of eligible poor. Transitioning to universal coverage would ensure that no climate-vulnerable individual is left behind. Given the already high programme coverage, expanding to universal access in climate-vulnerable areas would be both strategic and affordable.

Second, strengthen coping and adaptive capacity through top-up cash (or in-kind) transfers. Top-up cash or in-kind transfers can be provided to beneficiaries of life cycle programmes in anticipation of or following climate shocks, using existing beneficiary lists and mobile banking-based payment systems. Funds for these top-ups can be sourced from DRM-related programmes and climate adaptation funds, without burdening social protection budget and fostering synergy among these approaches.

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Third, support other vulnerable households by the DRM-related programmes. DRM schemes would deliver cash or in-kind assistance to households not covered by life cycle programmes, in anticipation of or after climate shocks.

Fourth, invest in sustainable livelihoods and graduation programmes. Climate funds can support livelihood development and graduation programmes to enhance economic resilience and adaptive capacity to enable vulnerable households to "bounce forward."

Fifth, establish institutional arrangements for ASP. Effective implementation of ASP requires robust institutional frameworks, including revised policies, updated operational guidelines, and formal agreements on financing, collaboration, and coordination mechanisms among relevant ministries and agencies.

While full-scale ASP implementation will take several years, Bangladesh is well-positioned to embark on this transformative journey. By pursuing these pathways, the country can strengthen the resilience of most vulnerable populations, enhance adaptive capacity, and establish itself as a global leader in ASP.

Fazley Elahi Mahmud is a social protection specialist, and international consultant on social protection. He can be reached at fazleyelahi.mahmud@gmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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