Karachi: Minister and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Shazia Marri said that cash assistance initiatives of programme provide financial support to around nine million households.

Participating at closing session of ‘Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection: Protecting lives and livelihoods in times of crisis’ in Berlin, Germany she said  programme greatly contributed towards uplifting socio-economic conditions of improvised and economically marginalised segments of society, particularly women

“BISP is an ideal model of social protection that should be emulated in other parts of world as well, particularly in developing nations.”

Marri expressed gratitude to government of Germany, specifically Minister Schulz and other partners, including World Bank and German Development Partner GIZ, for hosting an event on such an important subject.

She acknowledged Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate hazards, citing examples of last year’s devastating floods and ongoing threat of cyclone Biparjoy. In her talk, she shed light on climate vulnerability faced by Pakistan. “Country has experienced devastating floods in past, including in 2010, 2011, 2022 and most recently last year.”

“Approximately 33 million people were displaced, with 6,000 pregnant women directly affected due to flood 2022, she said,  however, our coalition government, through Benazir Income Support Programme, disbursed cash assistance of over Rs 70 billion among 2.8 million families affected by these floods,” she added.

Highlighting significance of coordination, Shazia Marri emphasized that BISP is working closely with provincial setups on social safety initiatives to maximise benefits extended to marginalised and poorest segments of society.

She expressed her government’s willingness to share experiences with representatives of 58 countries present at forum, showcasing country’s commitment to global collaboration for social protection.

Published in The Daily National Courier, June, 17 2023

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