BISP Chairperson Rubina Khalid Highlights Social Protection as Key to Resilience at Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week

Manila, Philippines, October 2026 — Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), took part in the panel discussion “Boosting Resilience to Face Polycrises and Megatrends” at Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week 2026. She shared Pakistan’s perspective on how social protection systems such as the Benazir Nashonuma Programme can help vulnerable communities, especially women and children, withstand shocks, adapt to changing risks and build a more resilient future.

Background

The challenges facing vulnerable families are no longer isolated. Climate shocks and economic uncertainty increasingly intersect, deepening vulnerability and making it harder for households to recover from one crisis before the next one arrives. This overlap of risks, often described as “polycrises,” is placing new demands on social protection systems across Asia and the Pacific.

Asia-Pacific Social Protection (APSP) Week 2026, themed “Empowered Lives, Resilient Futures,” ran from 6 to 8 October 2026 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila. The event brought together government leaders, policymakers, practitioners, development partners and innovators to take stock of progress, showcase practical solutions and co-create pathways for the region. Earlier editions in 2016, 2019 and 2023 helped advance regional understanding of comprehensive social protection and encouraged its integration into national development planning. This edition focuses on empowerment, resilience and the long-term sustainability of social protection systems.

Pakistan’s Perspective on Resilience

On the panel “Boosting Resilience to Face Polycrises and Megatrends,” Senator Khalid spoke about strengthening systems that help communities cope with overlapping shocks. She pointed to the Benazir Nashonuma Programme as an example of social protection that supports women and children, the groups most exposed when climate and economic pressures converge.

BISP has grown into Pakistan’s largest social safety net. Recent evidence presented at a BISP–World Bank policy dialogue in Islamabad in June 2026 showed that BISP-led safety nets now reach over 10.2 million households, about 24 percent of families nationwide. Senator Khalid has said the programme has evolved beyond cash assistance into a system that promotes human development, women’s empowerment and social inclusion, including through education, maternal and child health and skills development initiatives.

The Regional Picture

The Pakistani delegation joined the discussion as the region confronts persistent gaps in coverage. According to ADB analysis released around the event, social protection coverage in Asia and the Pacific has risen from 38.7 percent of the population in 2015 to 53.6 percent. Large gaps remain, particularly for informal workers, children, women, older people and persons with disabilities. Around 57 percent of people in South Asia are neither receiving social assistance nor contributing to social insurance. This so-called “missing middle” sits at the center of the region’s debate on how to build integrated, financially sustainable and digitally inclusive systems.

Conclusion

Senator Khalid’s participation in APSP Week 2026 placed Pakistan’s experience within a wider regional discussion on how social protection can serve as a first line of defense against compounding climate and economic shocks. As Pakistan continues to face recurring floods, heat and economic pressure, programmes like the Benazir Nashonuma Programme show how targeted support for women and children can strengthen household resilience before, during and after a crisis, a priority likely to shape social protection policy across the region in the years ahead.