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Roundtable Discussion on Family Card and the Emerging Social Protection Architecture of Bangladesh



Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), organised a seminar on 12 March 2026 titled Family Card and the Emerging Social Protection Architecture of Bangladesh On 12 March 2026, RAPID hosted a roundtable discussion on “Family Card and the Emerging Social Protection Architecture of Bangladesh.” The event brought together representatives from government, development partners, academia, and the media to exchange perspectives on the evolving direction of Bangladesh’s social protection system, particularly in light of the recently introduced Family Card initiative and the approaching conclusion of the current National Social Security Strategy (NSSS). We were honoured to have Dr Mohammad Abu Yusuf, Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh, as Chief Guest, and Mr Shah Mohammad Mahbub, Director General, Department of Social Services, as Special Guest. The discussion was initiated by a trigger presentation from Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Chairman of RAPID, and moderated by Dr M Abu Eusuf, Executive Director of RAPID and Professor of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka. We were honoured to have representatives from the World Bank Bangladesh, International Labour Organization, United Nations Development Programme in Bangladesh, UNICEF Bangladesh, World Food Programme, The Asia Foundation, European Union in Bangladesh, GIZ, and IGC Bangladesh participate in the discussion. The roundtable served as a platform for constructive dialogue on strengthening Bangladesh’s social protection architecture for the future.