Selected districts: Piloting of innovative social protection interventions approved

Business Recorder

26-05-2025

KARACHI: The Social Protection Department, Government of Sindh, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), convened the inaugural Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of the Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) initiative at the Planning & Development Board in Karachi.
The Social Protection Department reaffirmed its commitment to institutionalizing a proactive, data-driven approach to social protection, addressing vulnerabilities caused by poverty, climate change, and disasters.
The Steering Committee reached consensus on the critical need for inter-agency data sharing to enable anticipatory action, ensuring that the province is prepared to support vulnerable populations before calamities such as floods and droughts cause severe disruptions.
The Committee also approved the piloting of innovative social protection interventions in selected districts including Badin, Sanghar, Sujawal, Thatta, and Karachi. These pilots aim to evaluate effective poverty alleviation models, which can later be scaled across Sindh under the leadership of the Social Protection Department.
With technical support from GIZ Pakistan, acting on behalf of the EU and the German Government, the ASP programme is designed to enhance Sindh's capacity to implement adaptive, inclusive, and climate-resilient social protection strategies. The Social Protection Department is at the forefront of ensuring these strategies are responsive, equitable, and aligned with long-term development goals.
Speaking during the meeting, the Secretary of the Social Protection Department Muzamil Hussain Halepoto emphasized the importance of defining expected outcomes and developing a structured work plan, along with a clear framework for future operations and scaling up.
The Secretary also noted that KfW, the German development bank, has expressed interest in working in informal urban settings and rural areas of Karachi, particularly on a family planning and reproductive health initiative targeting informal workers. In this regard, the Secretary confirmed that a dedicated follow-up meeting with KfW is scheduled for next week to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Furthermore, the Secretary highlighted that many past and current programs have largely targeted landowning agricultural workers—both male and female.
Moving forward, he stressed that the focus must shift toward extending social protection to landless workers, who remain among the most vulnerable and underserved segments of Sindh's population.
Chief Economist of the Planning and Development Board, Aslam Soomro, emphasized that embedding adaptive social protection into Sindh's development agenda is essential to addressing multifaceted challenges—particularly climate change and disaster risk.
He acknowledged the Social Protection Department's central role in ensuring coordinated delivery across government agencies. Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation at the European Union, expressed strong support for the department's leadership and reaffirmed the EU's commitment to strengthening adaptive social protection through a whole-of-government and development partner approach.
Wolfgang Hesse, Cluster Coordinator at GIZ Pakistan, commended the Social Protection Department's leadership and reiterated that linking social protection with climate adaptation reflects the broader Pakistan-Germany development cooperation strategy. Johanna Knoess, Head of the ASP Programme at GIZ, highlighted three key pilot interventions led by the Social Protection Department. These include:
Supporting 40,000 women agricultural workers with registration, financial literacy, and livelihood investments; The Mamta Plus programme, targeting 250,000 pregnant and lactating women with digital and financial literacy and matched savings; Enabling 10,000 informal urban workers in Karachi to access bank accounts, enrol in savings programs, and access microfinance for small enterprises.
Looking ahead, the Social Protection Department and its partners committed to scaling successful interventions and expanding coordination under the Team Europe framework. The Department is dedicated to making adaptive social protection a cornerstone of Sindh's resilience and equity agenda, with a focus on inclusion, sustainability, and innovation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025