09/10/2026
𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐀-𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐀, 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐈𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 “𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲” 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚-𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. Senator Rubina Khalid said Pakistan’s large youth population requires skills aligned with changing market demands and that BISP is working with the ADB to scale up skills development within the social protection framework. Highlighting the Benazir Hunarmand Programme (BHP), she said the programme was launched by the President and approved by the BISP Board as a regular programme to respond to evolving skills and employment challenges. She explained that training is based on market-driven trades identified through national assessments, while success is measured by employability and income generation rather than certification alone. BISP has focused on bringing together partners working across skills, employment, health, education and social protection. BISP is moving beyond cash transfers towards helping families build resilience and graduate from poverty through market-relevant skills and decent work. Investing in skills, particularly for women and young people, can create employment at home and abroad and strengthen resilience against climate-related disasters. BISP is also working to connect education, vocational training and employment through its National Socio-Economic Registry, which covers more than 40 million households.
The roundtable included Carmela Torres, Undersecretary, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines; Fakafanua Paunga, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Tonga; Krishna Bahadur Raut, Secretary, Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security, Nepal; and Farzana Sharmin, State Minister, Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh. The closing remarks were delivered by Ms. Ayako Inagaki, Deputy Director General, ADB.