Disregarding the Jumma

This year, Bangladesh was the subject of heated discussion at the 10th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), held 16-27 May. The starting point was a report, commissioned by the UNPFII and written by a former member of the Forum Lars-Anders Baer. Last year, in his post as special rapporteur on the issue, Baer spent time in Bangladesh and subsequently came out with a report exploring the status of implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of 1997. Although the report received statements of solidarity from the delegates, the Dhaka government's response was novel: it refused to acknowledge the existence of any indigenous population in Bangladesh whatsoever.

The UNPFII, established in July 2000, is the first UN forum where indigenous peoples directly represent their own interests. It consists of 16 members, half of whom are nominated by governments and the other half by indigenous communities, and ultimately is tasked with making reports and recommendations, and generally raising awareness about indigenous peoples within the UN system. The members meet once a year for ten working days, at which governments, UN bodies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, and organisations of indigenous peoples participate as observers. In 2010, Devasish Roy, the traditional raja of the Chakma community, was selected as one of the UNPFII's 16 members, representing the Asian region for the period 2011-13. Although indigenous peoples' representatives from Bangladesh have always participated at the UNPFII, this year's meeting was the first time that the CHT Accord has been a focus of the discussion.