Kathmandu, July 22 Chargee d’affaires German Embassy Claudia Hiepe today said that social protection was a must for sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation. Speaking during a programme, Hiepe said due to changing living conditions, growing social inequalities and social risks, the social protection system was gaining popularity in the world. “They need to save people from hardship, cushion the blow caused by personal crises or financial problems, strengthen on a permanent basis the capacity of the poor people to help themselves, and support people living in extreme poverty and those unable to support themselves so as to enable them to lead a life of human dignity,” she said. She also added that social protection systems thus contribute very directly and effectively to preventing and reducing poverty, they promote social cohesion and help to maintain stability and peace in a country. “We want social protection to help those farthest behind first. In that sense, it is not surprising that social protection has found its way into the sustainable development goals. Social protection underlines the core idea of the 2030 agenda that no one should be left behind,” she said. “Today we have come together to explore the current social protection arrangement in Nepal and shed some light on future directions Nepal may undertake to expand social protection. We have also dived deeper to understand institutional set-ups and identify the scope for integration and harmonisation. These discussions were complemented by lessons on social protection reform from India, Pakistan and Malawi,” she added.