BIPNet's participation in the human Chain at Press Club

As the Conference of Parties 21 (COP-21) has began in Paris, the CSOs working on Climate Change and Environment shared their concerns and demands at the national level at human chain was organized on 29 November 2015, in front of National Press club, Dhaka.

BIPNet’s CHT and Cox’s Bazar regional meeting held at Rangamati, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

Alienation, imposing restriction and discrimination in access to resources and negligence, disrespect and non-recognition of the customary practices of the indigenous peoples are major causes for increasing the poverty and vulnerability among the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh

Rangamati, 12 October 2015: The meeting participants in general have expressed their concern over the increasing numbers of incidents of alienation, imposing restriction and discrimination in access to resources and negligence, disrespect and non-recognition of the customary practices of the indigenous peoples in all over the country. These are causing more of poverty and vulnerability within the communities. The participants of the CHT said that the land grabbing in CHT is still continuing alarmingly. The expansion of Reserve Forest (RF), establishment of new Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camps, tourist resorts, leasing out their Jum (shifting cultivation) land areas among the other issues are much highlighted in the meeting. Participants also expressed deep concern over the initiatives of tourism by the various government and private agencies in Rangamati and Bandarban hill district, which may lead to lose of the community’s customary land ownership, traditional livelihood and dilute their culture and practices. The communities, who are small in numbers (i.e. Mro people), will be effected most due to these initiatives. Many of them raise questions about the tourism initiatives for whom? and in what cost?

Meeting with the Official of Forest Department of Bangladesh and the representatives of BIPNet-CCBD held today:

A meeting with the Official of the Forest Department of the Government of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet-CCBD)was held on 06 May 2015 at the Forest Department Office, Dhaka. The IP group was lead by the expert member of UNPFii and Chairperson of BIPNet-CCBD and Maleya Foundation Raja Devasish Roy and the Bangladesh Forest Department group was lead by the Chief Conservation of Forest, Bangladesh Forest Department Md. Yunus Ali. Mr. Alamgir Hossain, Programme Analyst of UNDP and Mr. Ishtiaq U. Ahmad, Country Representative of IUCN were also present in the meeting. A total of 11 Indigenous Peoples representatives and 08 Senior Officials of the Bangladesh Forest Department were present in the meeting.

BIPNetCCBD Regional Committee Meeting at Datonkhali, Shyamnagar, Shatkhira District.