INDIGENOUS YOUTH CONFERENCE 2017: Ends with Strengthened Solidarity among Indigenous Youths

The Indigenous Youth Conference 2017 successfully ended in Komolganj, Moulvibazar with strengthened solidarity and enhanced capacities among a bunch of rising indigenous youth leaders of Bangladesh. The youth leaders present vowed to continue their communications and networks in order to work for a better future of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh.

Indigenous organizations and key stakeholders pledged to monitor indigenous peoples’ rights in Bangladesh through indigenous navigator tools

The training on ‘Indigenous Navigator framework for local indigenous partner organizations and other stakeholders’ successfully completed in Lalmatia, Dhaka. The representatives of local indigenous partner organizations and other key stakeholders promised to engage themselves in the sustainable development processes in order to assert and fulfill their right to self-determined development.

National Inception Workshop of ‘Indigenous Navigator’ project organised successfully in Bangladesh

The national inception workshop of the project ‘Improving indigenous and tribal peoples’ access to justice and development through community-based monitoring’ (popularly known as ‘Indigenous Navigator’) was held in Dhaka from July 26-27, 2017.The project is supported by European Union (EU) and jointly implementing by International Labor Organization (ILO) and Kapaeeng Foundation in Bangladesh. Around forty participants from different indigenous groups and regions attended the two-day long workshop.

Engage indigenous peoples in the process of implementation and review of achieving the SDGs

Discussion meeting urges the government

The Government of Bangladesh should engage indigenous peoples including indigenous women across the country in implementing and reviewing the progress of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the visibility of indigenous peoples in implementation of SDGs should be ensured to make its agenda “Leave No One Behind” meaningful. The speakers made this urges to the Government in a discussion meeting titled “Sustainable Development Agenda and Indigenous Women’s Rights in Bangladesh”, jointly organised by Bangladesh Indigenous Women’s Women Network (BIWN), Kapaeeng Foundation (KF) and Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum (BIPF) held at the Daily Star Center in Dhaka on 6 August 2017.

Implement UPR recommendations by May 2018

Discussion in Dhaka urges government

The discussants urged the government to implement the UPR recommendations related to indigenous peoples by May 2018. The discussion meeting titled “Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh” was organized by the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples Organizations on UPR at the Daily Star Centre in Dhaka.

Intervention of Bablu Chakma on agenda item 4 of 16th session of the UNPFii

The 16th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The UN Headquarters, New York, 24 April-5 May 2017

Agenda Item- 4: Implementation of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

By Bablu Chakma (email: [email protected]), Kapaeeng Foundation (email: [email protected])

 

Thank you Madam/Mr. Chair.

My name is Bablu Chakma and I am representing Kapaeeng Foundation. I wish to express my gratitude to Voluntary Fund for allowing me to participate in this session of the Forum.

Land grabbing dropped Rakhaine population to 5 percent in Coastal region in Bangladesh

reveals fact-finding mission of eminent citizen

The population of the Rakhaine people of two southern coastal districts – Patuakhali and Borguna – have gone down to as low as five percent over past few decades as a result of rampant land grabbing and persecution. This deplorable picture was revealed in a press conference organized on 29 March 2017 at Dhaka Reporters Unity in Dhaka following a fact-finding mission conducted by a team of eminent citizens of the country with the support of Caritas, Kapaeeng Foundation, Institute of Environment and Development (IED) and Association for Land Reforms and Development (ALRD).