Agreement signed on social safety, women empowerment

The government on Sunday signed two project documents with the UNDP under the title of 'SPPS' and 'SWAPNO' involving worth Tk 8.61 billion.
The Social Protection Policy Support (SPPS) programme will prove vital in rolling out the National Social Protection Strategy to be implemented at the cost of Tk564.1 million, a release said.
Government and the UNDP, DFID, and AusAID will jointly finance the cost of the project.
Secretary of economic relations division (ERD) of Finance Ministry, Mohammad Mejbahuddin said the programme will draw on the National Social Protection Strategy preparation, which will provide a functional entry point for effective changes in the wider social protection system via better governance and oversight of the system.
"We are pleased to sign SPPS Project Documents which will respond to deficiencies in the existing social protection system and a need for system reconfiguration," he added.
Country Director of UNDP, Ms Pauline Tamesis, in her speech said, UNDP is very happy to be part of the national social protection strategy reform process under the leadership of the cabinet division and GED. UNDP is committed to support through strengthening the governance and implementation system of social protection in Bangladesh.
The programme will be completed within December 2017 starting from January 2014.
 On the other hand, Strengthening Women's Ability for Productive New Opportunity (SWAPNO) programme signed on the same day has been designed following state-of-the-art graduation strategy that aims at beneficiaries' sustainable exit from extreme poverty, with a focus on future employability with the cost of Tk 8.05 billion, another release said.
It said the project would be implemented in 23 districts,   starting from July 2014, the project would be completed by 2019.
ERD secretary in his speech in the expressed his delight at having such a project designed in a logical way combining field level experiences and policy findings.
Ms Tamesis said, "The SWAPNO project is distinct in many ways particularly through ensuring government ownership, transparency, accountability in delivery system and development impact.
"The high level commitment of the government of Bangladesh to respond against poverty is really demonstrated by sharing 25 per cent of total cost of SWAPNO project," Ms Tamesis added.