Multi-sectoral collaboration for plainland indigenous underscored

Despite various initiatives by the government and the private sector, sustainable development of the people of the indigenous groups in the plains of Bangladesh remains unheard yet. They still lag behind mainstream development activities.

Most of them are making a living by working as day labourers. They lag behind mainstream economic activities due to a lack of alternative income skills. As a result, students are deprived of higher education opportunities due to a lack of financial incentives. Local social organisations have become almost non-functional as their native languages and cultural practices are being lost. A recent survey conducted by a non-government organisation found that 80 percent of them are living below the poverty line due to COVID pandemic.

In order to overcome this situation, it is high time to form a separate commission under relevant ministries for the plainland indigenous people. Also, joint collaboration between various ministries and departments of the government and like-minded development organisations and the continuation of advocacy initiatives is a demand of time to ensure a sustainable livelihood and integration of indigenous groups in the plains into the mainstream development initiatives.

These were suggested by the participants of an online `Stakeholder consultation on Lessons Learned and COVID -19 scenario of plainland indigenous peoples’ organised by the BRAC Integrated Development Program-IDP today, Wednesday (August 11, 2021).

Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru MP, State Minister for Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh attended as the chief guest of the virtual event that was live-streamed from BRAC’s Facebook Page. 

“One of the commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals is to "leave no one behind", which means no part of society will be left out of the sustainable development process. That is why working together is very important for all government and non-government development organisations. My ministry may consider in future to work jointly with BRAC for the development of these plainland ethnic groups,” state minister Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru said.

In the event, Mahmudul H Sumon, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University Bangladesh and Sanjeeb Drong, General Secretary, Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum and President, Indigenous Peoples Development Service (IPDS) shared the keynote presentation of the study ‘Lesson learned: Integrated Development Programme for Indigenous Peoples of Plain Lands in Bangladesh.’

The view exchange programme was moderated by BRAC senior director KAM Morshed. The event started with a welcome note from the convener of the session Anna Minj, Director, Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) and Integrated Development Programme (IDP) of BRAC, who also presented an overview of the Indigenous Peoples Project of the IDP of BRAC. 

“BRAC is working to empower the poorest and marginalized communities of indigenous peoples, particularly women living in the plains of Bangladesh so that they can gain greater access to and control over resources, decisions and actions,” said Anna Minj.

Sara Marandi, Director, Social Development at Gram Bikash Kendra (GBK), Dinajpur; Alexius Chicham, National Programme Coordinator, SDG Joint Programme for Tea Garden at International Labour Organisation (ILO), Dhaka; and Prasenjit Chakma, National Project Manager for Strengthening Inclusive Development in CHT (SID-CHT) Project, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dhaka joined the session as panelists. Programme participants from the field - Bijli Singh and Belal Lakra - also joined the live session and shared their experiences.

Speaking at the event, speakers also emphasized on the need for strengthening partnership between the government, development organisations, BRAC and like-minded other organisations to formulate socio-economic development outline for the plainland indigenous communities. Individuals, representatives from organisations working on the rights of indigenous peoples and media representatives also joined the event.