In solidarity with 'Global Climate Strike' on 24 Sep 2019 at National Press Club, Dhaka #Global Climate Strike #Climate Change

Our Forest Our Life

This community friendly animation video explains the basic concept of climate change and its disproportionate impacts to Indigenous Peoples (IP). It elaborates on the international agreement to mitigate the impacts of climate change, particularly REDD+ ( Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) and the key concerns of indigenous peoples. The video also highlights the collective rights of indigenous peoples enshrined in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Another highlight of the video is on the roles and contributions of indigenous women in the natural resource management.

length of video: 17 minutes

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact © 2013

Background of BIPNet-CCBD

Around the globe, the indigenous peoples are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change, due to their dependence upon, and close relationship with, the environment and its resources. Climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by indigenous communities, including political and economic marginalization, loss of land and resources, human rights violations, discrimination and unemployment. Against this backdrop, Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity” (BIPNet-CCBD) came into being in a seminar organized by Maleya Foundation in Dhaka on 14 November 2009. There are some 18 organizations of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh that are members of this network: BIPNet-CCBD. 

The Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet-CCBD) was founded in 2009 by a group of concerned indigenous organizations of the Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts and Plain Land). The  Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet-CCBD) was established to sharing Climate Change and Biodiversity, such as rural communities, local NGOs, community-based organizations, people’s organizations and mass-based organizations, among others.

Maleya Foundation is the secretariat of this network. In recognition of its commitment to the campaign of climate change, BIPNet-CCBD, within a short span of time after its inception, was granted full membership to the IPCCSD (Indigenous Peoples' Global Network on Climate Change and Sustainable Development) in 2010.

Dhaka, 24th November 2012. Today in a press conference, held at national press club seven Bangladeshi civil society climate networks along with 12 international networks has launched a post card campaign contained with 16 human stories and 16 demands related to Rights for Climate Forced Migrants.Organizers said that they will distribute these postcards globally especially among the policy makers who will be participating in Doha climate conference during 26th November to 7th December 2012.

Organizers of the press conference are Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), Bangladesh Indeginious People Network for Climate Change and Bio Diversity (BIPNetCCBD), Climate Change Development Forum (CCDF), Climate Finance Governance Network (CFGN), Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD) and Network on Climate Change Bangladesh (NCCB). They said they have 12 international civil society networks also expressed soliddarity with them in this campaign, which will also be campaigning in Doha also in their countries on the issue. They are 350.Org from USA; Beyond Copenhagen Collective, Bharitiya Jana Vighaan Jatra (BJVJ) and Parivi all these three organizations from India; Jubilee South Asia Pacific Development Movement (JSAPMDD) and People’s Movement on Climate Change (PMCC) from Philippines; Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) from Kenya, Least Development Country (LDC) Watch from Brussels, South Asian Alliance on Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) from Nepal, and Jubilee Debt Campaign and World Development Movement from UK.

বিপনেট এর বার্ষিক সাধারন সভা

বিগত ২৫ মার্চ ২০১৪ ইং তারিখে মোহাম্মদপুরে অবস্থিত বাংলাদেশ খ্রীষ্টান বিশপ সেন্টার (সিবিসিবি) এর কন্ফারেন্স রুমে বাংলাদেশ ইন্ডিজেনাস পিপলস’ নেটওয়ার্ক অন ক্লাইমেট চেঞ্জ এন্ড বায়োডাইবারসিটি (বিপনেট) এর বার্ষিক সাধারণ সভা অনুষ্টিত হয়। বিপনেটের কনভেনর ব্যারিষ্টার রাজা দেবাশীষ রায় এর সভাপতিত্বে দেশের সাতটি অঞ্চল থেকে আগত বিপনেটের সদস্যবৃন্দের উপস্থিতিতে সভাটি অনুষ্টিত হয়।

Forest Policy Final Draft for Comments

National Forest Policy-2016 Final Draft copy has been uploaded in the Forest Department website. Please find the draft copy and give your comments.

National Forestry Policy (Final Draft) -2016

BIPNet’s Shylet regional meeting held at Shreemangal, Shylet, Bangladesh

Shreemangal, Shylet 24 November, 2015: A regional meeting was held in Magurchara Punji, Shreemangal, Shylet region on 24 November, 2015. Participants came from different part of shylet region in the meeting. During the meeting they had organized a full day mela and different type of traditional competition. The meeting participants in general have expressed their concern over the increasing numbers of incidents of alienation, 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. Participants also expressed deep concern over the initiatives of tourism by the various government and private agencies in Shylet, 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. Many of them raise questions about the tourism initiatives for whom? 

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.

Right Groups Express Concern on Government Silence on Climate Finance and Planning Bangladesh must not be misread to International Community

Dhaka 26^th June 2014. Today seven civil society right based networks express concern on the government’s non-allocation in climate fund in the proposed budget of FY 2014-15 and the silence of environment ministry about climate planning and international negotiation process. They said that this approach will give wrong signal to the international community about the country’s climate related program.

The groups have organized a press conference in national press club titled “Government Kept Silence on Climate Issues might give Wrong Signal to National and International Community” today. The organizers are Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA), Bangladesh Indigenous People’s Network on Climate Change and Bio-Diversity (BIPNetCCBD), Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Climate Change Development Forum (CCDF), Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Somaj and Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD).

BIPNET-CCBD’s AGM held in the capital recently

[The participants with the newly formed central executive committee members;]

[Photo: Maleya Foundation]

Recently, on 25 April, the BIPNET-CCBD [The Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity] held its AGM [Annual General Meeting] in the capital’s Shyamoli area. The day-long event was organized by Maleya Foundation, which is playing the network’s secretariat role at present, with financial assistance from the CIPD [Centre for Integrated Program and Development].

With over two dozens of member organizations, BIPNET-CCBD is the only national level network of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh working on climate change and biodiversity. On the occasion of the AGM, a good number of participants from across the country gathered in the capital.

[Raja Devasish Roy, in the middle, seen preside over the meeting;]

[Photo: Maleya Foundation]

A central executive committee was formed during the meeting for the tenure of 1 year: 2014-2015, with Barrister Raja Devasish Roy as the chairperson and Sudatta Bikash Tanchangya as the member secretary. Selected on the basis of regions, the committee members are as follows:

1. Central [Dhaka and Gazipur]: Mr. Prohollad Barmon;
2. North [Greater Mymensingh]: Mr. Ajay A Mree, & Mr. Eugene Nokrek;
3. North-West [Rajshahi & Dinajpur]: Prof. Gones Soren, Ms. Shlipi Soren & Mr. Gones Maji.
4. North-East [Greater Sylhet, Comilla & Chandpur]: Mr. Gidison Pradhan Suchiang, Mr. Andrew Sholomar, Mr. Gouranga Patra, & Mr. Parimol Singh Baraik;
5. South [Barguna & Patuakhali]: Mr. Mong Ching Than;
6. South-West [Satkhira & Khulna]: Mr. Krishna Pada Munda;
7. South-East [CHT, Ctg & Cox’s Bazar]: Mr. Gautam Dewan, Ms. Shefalika Tripura and Ms. Lalosa Chakma;

[The photo shows a section of the audience at the program;] [Photo: Maleya Foundation]