The Human Rights Forum for Universal Periodic Review (HR-UPR Forum) calls upon the Government to ensure the rights of the indigenous communities of Bangladesh in general and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in particular.

“We are very disappointed that instead of making progress, the Government has moved backward to amend the Constitution to declare all residents of Bangladesh as Bangalees, which is against the spirit and values of pluralism and multiculturalism that inspired our liberation war. It undermines the fundamental rights of those Bangladeshi nationals who are not Bangalees by ethnic and cultural identity”, said Advocate Sultana Kamal, Convener of the Forum. “We call upon the Government and Members of Parliament to repeal this amendment and demonstrate full respect to equality of all citizens”, she said.

The forum of 17 non-governmental organizations committed to working with the Government to promote human rights is furthermore concerned that a Government that has been viewed to be natural allies in the struggle for the rights of the indigenous peoples has failed to accord them constitutional recognition. This is contrary to their electoral commitment.

“We call upon the Government to ensure the rights of the indigenous communities in the CHT as a means to promoting peace, stability and development in the region”, the statement said.

The Forum demands that the Government should demonstrate the political courage and commitment to take specific, time-bound and result-oriented actions to implement the CHT Peace Accord consistently with their election pledge. We also call upon the Government to attach highest priority to ensuring the land rights of the indigenous communities.

“Recalling that credit for achieving the Peace Accord in CHT goes to the Prime Minister, Shekh Hasina, we also call upon her Government to complete the withdrawal of all the army camps in CHT as a precondition for demilitarization of the region and for promoting democratic institutionalization and strengthening of the political process to implement the Accord”, the statement said.

The HR-UPR Forum Members are:

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), Bangladesh Mohila Parishad (BMP), Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), Bangladesh Legal Aid & Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM), Centre for Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors (CRTS), D.Net (Development Research Network), Karmojibi Nari (KN), Nagorik Uddyog, Nari Uddoyog Kendra (NUK), Nijera Kori, Nari Pokkho, National Forum of Organizations working with the Disabled (NFOWD), Research and Development Collective (RDC), Steps Towards Development (Steps), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)