Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh Demand Land Rights, Cultural Respect, and Constitutional Recognition

• Indigenous representatives and human rights advocates in Dhaka are calling for formal constitutional recognition and the immediate protection of customary land rights.
• Key demands include the activation of land commissions for both the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and plainland communities to resolve long-standing disputes.
• Activists urge the government to reform constitutional terminology and prioritize sustainable, community-consented development.

Land Rights and Legal Enforcement

• Demand for strict enforcement of Section 97 of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 to prevent illegal land transfers among plainland indigenous groups.
• Call for the immediate reactivation of the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission to process over 27,000 pending applications.
• Emphasis that land is the foundational basis for indigenous culture and social existence, necessitating independent land commissions for plainland areas.

Constitutional Recognition and Terminology

• Advocacy for replacing terms like 'sub-tribe' or 'ethnic group' in Article 23A of the Constitution with the globally recognized term 'Indigenous People'.
• Proposal for the formation of a Parliamentary Caucus on Indigenous Affairs to ensure unified representation and protect indigenous interests.

Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development

• Support for official recognition of traditional midwifery and healthcare knowledge to improve maternal and child health in remote regions.
• Criticism of unplanned infrastructure projects, which participants link to recent severe flooding in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
• Requirement that all state development projects must secure the prior informed consent and active representation of local indigenous populations.