A/HRC/15/55* 2. Fragmentation and lack of a long-term strategy 109. Coordination among ministries, civil society organizations and donor agencies is essential to the realization of all components of a social protection strategy: (a) ensuring access to social services; (b) providing social assistance including safety nets; and (c) protecting labour standards for all. The Government’s Perspective Plan (see paragraphs 78– 81 above) recognizes the need to increase coordination significantly, and to enhance the coverage and adequacy of funds for social protection initiatives. The independent expert noted, however, that, despite planning efforts, fragmentation persists. At present, various programmes seem to work in isolation. 110. The multiplication of initiatives, many of which implemented by many different civil society organizations, increases the risk of overlapping between the initiatives and jeopardizes the stability required by programmes designed to ensure income security. Despite the fact that the Perspective Plan envisages a comprehensive social security system as part of the strategy to reduce poverty and improve income distribution, existing planning efforts still fail to indicate a vision of a stable and broad social protection system and the specific steps to be taken to increase coordination among the multiple social protection strategies in place. In order to increase effectiveness, in particular considering the limited resources available, Bangladesh must design an integrated and comprehensive social protection strategy. 111. The absence of a clear framework for social protection means that the exact role that existing programmes play in alleviating poverty, and what strategy they fit into, are also unclear. At present, it is difficult to monitor and assess the role played by each programme in poverty alleviation. It is equally difficult to identify what the weaknesses and gaps of each programme are and what remedies can be put in place. The absence of effective coordination is also problematic from a human rights point of view, as it precludes the allocation of responsibility or the identification of those accountable for which aspects of implementation. To evolve from a charity approach to a rights-based approach, beneficiaries must be able to identify the actors bearing responsibility for allocating the assistance they receive. They should also have access to information on existing programmes and participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of public policies that affect them. 112. The prevailing emphasis on “safety nets” as the core of social assistance strategies may also weaken the possibility of achieving a more comprehensive social protection system, as it prioritizes short-term measures. While programmes dealing with short-term risk, especially short-term consequences of disasters, may be effective, long-term strategies seem to receive more limited support, which severely limits the scope for poverty reduction. The Government has developed capacity and expertise in dealing with this shorter-term aspect of social protection, but it needs to deliver on the two other components: enabling vulnerable people to protect themselves against shocks, and enabling people to build sustainable, secure livelihoods. 3. Ensuring programmes reach those living in extreme poverty 113. In recent decades, Bangladesh has received recognition for its efforts in the area of poverty reduction through initiatives implemented by the State and civil society organizations, especially in the areas of microfinance and social safety nets. Nonetheless, much more needs to be done to reach the poorest groups. From a human rights perspective, in particular when resources are scarce, special measures must be taken to ensure that the poorest segments of society are prioritized. In this sense, reports of significant targeting errors are particularly worrying. 26 GE.10-15451