TOWARDS SUSTAINED ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY IN BANGLADESH Dr Shamsul Alam Member (Senior Secretary) GED, Planning Commission NEC Conference Room, Planning Commission, Dhaka April 8-9, 2015

Summary overview 7 main sessions and 12 very dense papers 1.Strategy to Eradicate Poverty 2.Wellbeing Regimes, Gender and Extreme Poverty 3.Inequality and Financial Inclusion 4.Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty and Graduation 5.Regional dimensions, Rural Employment and Social Protection 6.Rural-Urban Dimensions of Extreme Poverty 7.Summary and Key Messages

CENTRAL MESSAGE ‘No country is so poor that it cannot provide for the basic physical well-being of its entire population’ (Sir Partha Dasgupta) SO A commitment to Zero Extreme Poverty by 2021 i.e. continued growth that “leaves no-one behind”

Supporting Messages 1. Our success in reducing poverty and our sustained economic growth means that a Zero Extreme Poverty strategy is ACHIEVABLE 2. Conference papers confirm that this strategy is now AFFORDABLE (not more than 3% of GDP required) 3. We have models that successfully support the livelihoods of the extreme poor (EEP/Shiree, CLP, TUP, UPPR etc). We need to replicate and scale these up

With important warnings The number of extreme poor people is still very high (about 17 million), and the number of people living in vulnerability is higher Reaching and supporting the extreme poor is challenging. To maintain our current poverty reduction success in the future will therefore require more effort, greater resources, more effective innovation, and political commitment.

With important warnings The extreme poverty landscape is dynamic and there are important regional and geographical variations Bangladesh has enjoyed strong growth but inequality is on the rise. If this continues, it will have an adverse impact on extreme poverty reduction

Policy Strategy 1. Extreme poverty eradication prioritised in the next Five Year Plan 2. Greater budget allocation for extreme poverty eradication using National Social Security Strategy 3. Achieve growth at 7% rate 4. Scale up and expand successful targeted extreme poverty programmes like EEP/Shiree, CLP, TUP etc. 5. Scale up and target more effectively Government Social Protection programmes

Policy Strategy 6. Invest more in human capital development and ensure equality of opportunity in order to ensure the extreme poor become more resilient 7. Consider ways of strengthening institutional capacity to support extreme poverty eradication initiatives (Permanent Secretariat in Planning Commission, perhaps at GED) to ensure state and society buy-in