Silver Jubilee of CHT Accord 1997: A Call for Solidarity and Action for the Implementation of the CHT Accord
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By AIPP
- December 20, 2022
- 6:10 pm

To mark the silver jubilee of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord, several Indigenous organizations and community members from Bangladesh launched the 25 Days of Mass Action on the 27th November 2022 demanding to honour and fully implement the Accord. The call for action will end on 20th December 2022 with a mass procession in Dhaka followed by an online symposium as well as solidarity messages from different country-level and international organizations, and activists across the world.
The Accord was signed on the 2nd December 1997 between the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), a political party of the Jumma Indigenous Peoples of CHT, in order to end the 24 years of arm-conflict and resolve the region’s political conflict through a peaceful solution. It ushered a great hope of peace and justice as it recognised the autonomy of the Indigenous Peoples of the CHT.
However, since its signing, GoB has been dishonouring the agreement by addressing only peripheral provisions of the agreement and ignoring the core issues and provisions. According to PCJSS, 25 out of 72 sections of the Accord have been fully implemented and 18 have been partially implemented. The remaining 29 sections were left totally untouched that includes the core issues of the agreement. One of them is the self-rule governance system. The agreement provides for the introduction of a special governance system for the CHT region consisting of the CHT Regional Council at regional level and three Hill District Councils at district level. Many subjects including general administration, law and order, police, land and land management, forest and environment, tourism, development of communication systems are supposed to be entrusted to these councils. But till today those issues and functions have not been entrusted to these councils. As a result, the self-rule governance system in CHT has not yet been properly established.
Similarly, demilitarization of the CHT region has been postponed. The temporary camps, as per the agreement, were supposed to be withdrawn to their respective permanent barracks. Unfortunately, the time-line for that has not yet been determined.
The GoB has failed to initiate the process for land restitution and dispute resolution, one of the core issues of the Accord. The CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission was set up in 2001, however, the entity is yet to be operationalized with 27,000 applications already registered and awaiting for settlement because the government has not approved the rules of the Commission. Neither the lands forcibly taken over by the settlers have been returned to Indigenous Peoples, nor any refugees or internally displaced people have been rehabilitated. Consequently, land grabbing and displacement is increasing in the region.
Almost five decades of conflict have cost generational trauma and lives. The Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Francisco Cali Tzay stated that ‘Honesty, sincerity, dialogue, good faith and mutual trust are indispensable for implementing the CHT Accord.’[1]
In the best interest of democracy and humanity, we, the undersigned organizations, call on GoB to immediately announce a roadmap and demonstrate its political integrity and vision in the very spirit of the CHT Accord. We also urge the government to reform and amend all laws that run contrary to the Accord as a first step in creating an enabling environment for its effective and full implementation.
Organisations:
- Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Thailand
- Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum (BIPF), Bangladesh
- Indigenous Peoples Alliance of Archipelago (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara/AMAN), Indonesia
- Manushya Foundation, Thailand
- Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), Malaysia
- Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT), Thailand
- Centre for Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas (CSDM), Vietnam
- Vietnam Indigenous Knowledge (VTIK), Vietnam
- Network of Vietnam Indigenous Women (NVIW), Vietnam
- National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NAFIN), Nepal
- Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Alliance (CIPA), Cambodia
- Oyu Tolgoi Watch NGO, Mongolia
- Rivers without Boundaries Coalition- Mongolia
- Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER), Mexico
- Indigenous Peoples Foundation for Education and Environment, Thailand
- Papora Indigenous Development Association, Taiwan
- Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP), Nepal
- Kirat Chamling Language Culture Development Association, Nepal
- Indigenous Women’s Forum Northeast India
- Nilgiris Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Federation, South India
- Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders (APNED)
- International IPMSDL
- Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines
- Indigenous people’s Forum Odisha, India
- The William Gomes Podcast, UK
- National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN), Nepal
- Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development (BCHRD), Bangladesh
- Human Rights Alliance Bangladesh (HRAB), Bangladesh
- Papuans for the Future Network, Indonesia
- Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Bangladesh
- Centro Juventude Covalima (CJC), Timor-Leste
- Adivasi Women’s Network, India
- Kachin Women’s Association Thailand
- United Tribal Organization, Assam (UTOA), India
- Papora Indigenous Youth Council, Taiwan
- Bangladesh Indigenous Youth Forum (BIYF), Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Hajong Students Organization, Bangladesh
- Wickliffe Syiem Jubo Songho (WSJS), Bangladesh
- Women Working Group (WWG), Indonesia
- Bangladesh Indigenous Cultural Forum (BICF), Bangladesh
- CIPRED, Nepal
- Anagrasar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS), Bangladesh
- Indigenous Peoples’ News Bangladesh (IPNEWS BD), Bangladesh
- Central Taiwan Ping-Pu Indigenous Groups Youth Alliance, Taiwan
- International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana, Asia Pacific, Philippines
- Réseau Camerounais des Organisations des Droits de l’Homme (RECODH), Cameroon
- SIKLAB Philippine Indigenous Youth Network, Philippines
- Chhattisgarh Tribal People’s Forum, Chhattisgarh, India
- Ananya Kallyan Sangathon (AKS), Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Koch Adivasi Union (BKAU), Bangladesh
- International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), Global
- Bangladesh Jatiya Hajong Sangathon (BJHS), Bangladesh
- ILPS Commission 10, Global
- Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders (IPHRDs) Network in Asia
- Bangladesh Indigenous Women’s Network, Bangladesh
- Kapaeeng Foundation, Bangladesh
- Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders Network, Bangladesh
- Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA), Thailand
- Studio Dama, Bangladesh
- Network of Indigenous Women -Bai, Philippines
- Bangladesh Indigenous Student’s Action Forum, Bangladesh
- Dhaka University Jum Literature & Cultural society, Bangladesh
- YFIN Nepal
- Katribu Youth, Philippines
- Kabataan para sa Tribung Pilipino (Katribu Youth), Philippines
- Thansa Medical Foundation, India
- Federación por la Autodeterminación de los pueblos indígenas (FAPI), Paraguay
- STAR Kampuchea (SK), Cambodia
- Bangladesh Banai Unnayan Sanghathan, Bangladesh
- Ruwang Collective Arts
- CHT Women Headman-Karbari Network, Bangladesh
- CHT Youth Headman-Karbari Network, Bangladesh
- Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, Bangladesh
- Chittagong Hill Tracts Hill Student’s Council (PCP), Bangladesh
- BAGACHAS, Bangladesh
- Nepal Indigenous Disabled Association, Nepal
- Hill Resource Centre, Bangladesh
- Acción Ecologica, Ecuador
Individuals:
- Ken Kampe, Advisor, AIPP, Thailand
- Khesheli Chishi, Senior Advisor, Indigenous Women’s Forum Northeast India
- Chetu Bikal Chamling, Secretary, Kirat Chamling Language Culture Development Association, Nepal
- Joseph Purugganan, Philippines
- Beverly L. Longid, Global Coordinator, International IPMSDL
- Rhoda Dalang, Member, CPA, Philippines
- Windel Bolinget, Chairperson, Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines
- Theophil Gomango, Convenor, Indigenous people’s Forum Odisha, India
- Sakda Saenmi, Coordinator, Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT), Thailand
- William Nicholas Gomes, Human rights activist and Freelance journalist, UK
- Bobita Kormokar, Director, Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development (BCHRD), Bangladesh
- Mahbul Haque, Founder and Chairman, Human Rights Alliance Bangladesh (HRAB), Bangladesh
- Esra Mandosir, General Coordinator, Papuans for the Future Network, Indonesia
- Ananta Dhamai, President, Bangladesh Indigenous Youth Forum (BIYF), Bangladesh
- Markush Basumatary, President, United Tribal Organization, Assam (UTOA), India
- Andrew Joell Sholmar, President, Wickliffe Syiem Jubo Songho (WSJS), Bangladesh
- Maslah Rompado, Project coordinator, JOAS, Malaysia
- Rajkumar Shaw, Executive Director, Anagrasar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS), Bangladesh
- Antani Rema, Editor(acting), Indigenous Peoples’ News Bangladesh (IPNEWS BD), Bangladesh
- Anya Thomas, ZTI Asia Regional Coordinator, AIPP, Australia
- William Nokrek, Asia Pacific Coordinator, International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana, Asia Pacific, Philippines
- Joseph Désiré ZÉBAZÉ, National Coordinator, Réseau Camerounais des Organisations des Droits de l’Homme (RECODH), Cameroon
- Chandra Tripura, Member, Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum (BIPF), Bangladesh
- Nedlloyd Tuguinay, National Coordinator, SIKLAB Philippine Indigenous Youth Network, Philippines
- Tak Bahadur Tamang, Nepal
- Rabindranath Soren, President, Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, Bangladesh
- Khokon Suiten Murmu, Australia
- Mithun Kumar Koch, Joint Secretary, Bangladesh Koch Adivasi Union (BKAU), Bangladesh
- Falguni Tripura, Coordinator, Bangladesh Indigenous Women’s Network, Bangladesh
- Sefalika Tripura, Executive Director, Khagrapur Mahila Kallyan Samity (KMKS), Bangladesh
- Pallab Chakma, Executive Director, Kapaeeng Foundation, Bangladesh
- Helena Talang, Joint Convener, Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders Network, Bangladesh
- Sukhgerel Dugersuren, Chair, Oyu Tolgoi Watch NGO, Mongolia
- Manira Tripura, Bangladesh Indigenous Youh Forum, Bangladesh
- Sumadh Chakma, Vice-president, Dhaka University Jum Literature & Cultural Society, Bangladesh
- Sabba Rani Maharjan, Youth Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Federal Council, YFIN Nepal
- Arjan Chakma, Student, Aalborg Universitet
- Kiran Shrestha, General Secretary, YFIN Nepal
- Aitizya Chakma, President, Dhaka University Jum Literature & Cultural Society, Bangladesh
- Kim Falyao, Council Member, Asia Indigenous Youth Platform, Philippines
- Badhon Areng, Bangladesh
- Joyee Chakma, Graduate Student, North South University, Bangladesh
- Nipom Chakma, Project Officer, Community Initiative Society, Bangladesh
- Suresh Kumar Chakma, Founder, Thansa Medical Foundation, India
- Chyong yung Murong, General Secretary of Bangladesh Indigenous Students Action Forum, Bangladesh
- Satej Chakma, Sub-Editor, Indigenous Peoples’ News Bangladesh (IPNEWW BD), Bangladesh
- Palton Hajong, General Secretary, Bangladesh Jatiya Hajong Sangathon, Bangladesh
- Ripon Banai, General Secretary, Bangladesh Banai Unnayan Sanghathan, Bangladesh
- Lakpa Nuri Sherpa, Coordinator, Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA), Thailand
- Anwesha Chakma, Member, Bangladesh Indigenous Women’s Network
- Shovon Mrong, General Secretary, BAGACHAS, Bangladesh
- Jagadish Chakma, Organisation Secretary, CHT PCP, Bangladesh
- Dev Bahing, Central member, YFIN NEPAL
- Nathalia Bonilla, Presidenta, Acción Ecologica, Ecuador
Click here to download the full statement
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[1] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/12/bangladesh-un-expert-concerned-about-non-implementation-chittagong-hill
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