The Second National Social Protection Conference took place in Karachi from 24th to 26th February 2025. This landmark event was made possible with the support of Team Europe, including the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It was organized by GIZ Pakistan in collaboration with federal and provincial governments and in partnership with the KfW Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations.

Bringing together key stakeholders from federal and provincial governments, international development partners, policymakers, researchers, and civil society, the conference advanced Pakistan’s Adaptive Social Protection agenda. Over three days, discussions focused on strengthening governance and collaboration at federal and provincial levels, leveraging data and AI for social protection, exploring sustainable co-financing models, and building resilience against climate-induced challenges.

The Joint Statement 2.0 reaffirmed the commitment of federal and provincial governments, along with development partners, to a more integrated and adaptive social protection system.

Key Deliverables:

1. A National Social Protection Forum and an Inter-Provincial Forum may be established, subject to government approvals, to enhance policy alignment and facilitate best practice exchange.
2. Provincial Steering Committees need to be formed for disaster resilience and response.
3. Provincial Social Protection Policies may be developed as per the needs of individual provinces.
4. Efforts will be made to align financial responsibilities between federal and provincial governments, leveraging climate and disaster risk financing instruments such as the Global Shield.
5. Nutrition-sensitive, gender-responsive, and climate-adaptive social protection programs should be strengthened, integrating financial inclusion and skills development.
6. Data integration across NADRA, NSER, PSERs, NDMA, and PDMAs should be strengthened for real-time, secure, and interoperable data exchange.
7. Development partners will launch a Social Protection Knowledge Gateway to facilitate research, innovation, and capacity-building.