On International Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum has demanded that the government take concrete steps to guarantee the constitutional, cultural, land, and legal rights of the country's indigenous communities.
A discussion meeting, public rally, and cultural program marking International Indigenous Peoples' Day were held on Sunday at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital.
Special guests at the event included human rights and women's rights activist Khushi Kabir; former member of parliament and vice president of the Parbatya Chittagong Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), Ushatan Talukder; an educationist and former Dhaka University professor; Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Dr Iftekharuzzaman; a member of the Central Standing Committee of Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD); Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, Shaheen Anam; Executive Director of ALRD, Shamsul Huda; the Acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council; General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan; Co-General Secretary of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Rajekuzzaman Ratan; writer and journalist Sohrab Hasan; Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain; Dhaka University teacher Robaet Ferdous; and a writer and researcher, among many others.
In his welcome address, Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, said: "For three decades now, we have been campaigning for indigenous peoples' right to self-determination. More than four million indigenous people live in Bangladesh. We believe the Bangladeshi state must grant them constitutional recognition to protect their language, identity, land, culture, and self-identity."
He added: "The coexistence of different ethnic communities is what makes Bangladesh rich in linguistic, cultural, and traditional diversity — and that diversity is our country's beauty and strength. To protect indigenous peoples' language, culture, and heritage, we must stop seizing and evicting them from their land in the name of development. At the same time, the state must take effective steps to secure their land and cultural rights."
Ushatan Talukder said Bangladesh is a country of many languages, many cultures, and many ethnic identities — and that diversity is our national strength. Yet it is a sad truth that the indigenous peoples who form a vital part of this diversity still face crises and discrimination over constitutional recognition, land rights, language, culture, and identity. Fifty-five years after independence, many of their basic rights remain unfulfilled.
He further said that "collective ownership," the traditional indigenous system of land tenure, has been recognized under ILO Conventions 107 and 169, both of which serve as legal instruments for indigenous peoples. Bangladesh ratified ILO Convention 107 in 1972 but has never ratified or endorsed Convention 169. "I call on the government to properly implement Convention 107 and to take steps toward ratifying Convention 169," he said.
He noted that the CHT Peace Accord is nearing its 30th anniversary, yet no visible progress has been made toward its implementation. The current government has promised in its election manifesto to build a "rainbow nation" — a Bangladesh that respects diversity.
"We believe that promise will only be realized through the full implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, by granting constitutional recognition to indigenous peoples, and by protecting their rights to land, language, culture, and identity," he said.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said Indigenous Peoples' Day is not only for indigenous communities — it stands as a symbol of rights and dignity for all landless, marginalized, and oppressed people. "The Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord was signed with the state in 1997 to fulfil the self-determination rights of the hill people. But 29 years on, it still hasn't been fully implemented," he said.
He added that the Bangladesh Army could play a significant role in implementing the accord. "Just as the Bangladesh Army has made important contributions as a UN peacekeeping force in countries around the world, we hope it will similarly help establish peace, harmony, and stability within the country by supporting the accord's implementation."
He called on the army to play a positive and effective role in resolving the long-standing disputes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts peacefully and in fully implementing the accord.
Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said that even decades after independence, the country's indigenous peoples remain deprived of their rightful entitlements. Although Bangladesh won independence in 1971 with the dream of a discrimination-free, equitable nation, equal rights for all communities have still not been secured.
"Our movement has always stood with the oppressed and the deprived. Our struggle will continue until we secure justice for indigenous peoples and all oppressed communities, and build a discrimination-free, democratic, humane Bangladesh," he said.
Khushi Kabir said the day is observed every year because of its special importance — it repeatedly reminds the state that indigenous communities exist in Bangladesh and that they, too, have their own rights, identity, and dignity. She said that recognizing indigenous peoples as distinct ethnic groups is one of the main ways to protect their language, culture, and heritage. At the same time, their right to self-determination over their land must be ensured — which is why constitutional and legal recognition for indigenous peoples is so urgently needed.
In the absence of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum's president, his written statement was read out by Trijinad Chakma, a PCJSS staff member. In it, he said: "On this International Indigenous Peoples' Day, I want to say to indigenous people everywhere — the majority of indigenous communities in the hills and plains of Bangladesh today are living under threat to their very existence. Fifty-five years after independence, indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts continue to lose their land, and their human rights are being trampled daily under military rule and state oppression. The CHT Accord, signed on December 2, 1997, to resolve the problems of hill indigenous peoples, is now approaching 29 years — yet the government has shown no real will to fully implement it. The situation for plainland indigenous communities is even more precarious: eviction from land, violence against women, discrimination, and impunity have pushed them further and further into the margins. To overcome this reality, indigenous students and youth must carry the struggle forward with unbreakable unity and resolve, further consolidating the fight for indigenous rights."
At the rally organized by the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum to mark International Indigenous Peoples' Day, the following demands were raised:
- Indigenous peoples must be given constitutional recognition, including the right to self-determination.
- The Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord must be properly and fully implemented, with a time-bound roadmap announced for this purpose.
- A separate ministry and land commission must be established for indigenous peoples of the plains.
- All media outlets, platforms, or institutions spreading distorted, partial, or false information about indigenous peoples must be shut down.
- All forms of oppression and persecution against indigenous peoples must end, and all false cases against them must be withdrawn immediately.
- The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007, and ILO Convention 169 must be ratified, and ILO Convention 107 must be implemented.
- International Indigenous Peoples' Day must be observed officially by the state.
- The 5% reserved quota for indigenous peoples of the plains and the Chittagong Hill Tracts must be properly introduced and implemented.