About the project

Partner: International Labour Organization (ILO)
Project duration: 27 May 2025 – 26 November 2025

Bangladesh’s social protection system is evolving under the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS), introduced in 2015, with action plans for 2015–2020 and 2021–2025, supported by UNDP. The NSSS promotes a life-cycle and universal coverage approach, coordinated by the Cabinet Division and monitored by the General Economics Division. A National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS) was proposed under NSSS, focusing on unemployment, injury, maternity, and sickness insurance, with the Ministry of Finance responsible for its development. However, progress has been slow, and instead, a Universal Pension Scheme was launched in 2023. To advance NSIS, ILO and UNDP are collaborating to create a roadmap through consultations with government ministries, employers, and workers' organizations. The project aims to build capacity among stakeholders and develop an implementation strategy, supported by an actuarial or costing study. This will inform training and policy dialogues, helping integrate social insurance into Bangladesh’s broader social protection system.

Scope of Work Summary for NSIS Roadmap Consultancy:

Roadmap Review & Analysis:

• Conduct desk review of NSSS, relevant policies, and frameworks.
• Analyse international best practices in social insurance and assess relevance to Bangladesh.
• Collect legal and statistical data for an actuarial study or costing exercise.

Stakeholder Consultations:

• Facilitate consultations with five key stakeholder groups: Two government ministries, employers, workers, and development partners.
• Collect input on challenges and expectations for NSIS.

Roadmap Development:

• Draft a comprehensive roadmap with steps, timelines, and milestones for NSIS implementation.
• Recommend institutional structures, financing, and legal frameworks aligned with international standards and national goals.

Capacity Building & Knowledge Sharing:

• Organise two workshops (one-day and two-day residential) to share knowledge and present the draft roadmap.
• Provide capacity-building recommendations.

Finalisation:

• Revise and finalise the roadmap incorporating stakeholder feedback.
• Submit a detailed implementation strategy with actionable steps.