Mr. Hans Hoffmeyer Senior Advisor/Programme Coordinator of Project Support Unit-Human Rights and Good Governance of Danida & Mr. MB Akter Program Manager of Oxfam GB, a total five members of visitor team visited ECDO office and its project area at Jaintapur Upozela under Sylhet district for monitoring the progress of Anagrasar Gono Unnayan Prokolpo (A backward community development project) which was started at the end of 2007 with support from Oxfam GB & Danida.

During their field visit they met and discussed with local government representatives and community peoples to know about the immediate impact of this project & for future directions. After field visit they also met with the executive members of ECDO. It should be mentioned that ECDO is implementing this project in the indigenous area to create awareness and ensure capacity building for the local indigenous people’s organization such as; Community Based Organization (CBO), Traditional Social Structure (TSS), and to ensure their rights for education, land and other rights on indigenous issues in the aspect of national and international.

ECDO have already some significant achievements under this project within this short period of time, which is appreciated by different stakeholders and civil society members. One of the mentionable achievements is that after getting different training under this project access of indigenous peoples to the different local government offices increasing gradually. Now they have gained some capacity to bargain about their rights with the local government authorities.

ECDO organized a District Level Consultative Meeting on 31^st December 2009 under Anagrasar Gono Unnayan Prokolpa (Backward Community Development Project) with support from Oxfam GB. The consultative meeting was presided by the additional deputy commissioner (Education & Development) of Sylhet Mr. Ahmed Shamim Al-Raji. Mr Lakshmikanta Singh Executive Director of ECDO was present as the moderator of the meeting. At the beginning of this meeting he delivered a well come speech and described about the aims and objectives of the meeting.

The main objectives of this meeting were as follows;

• Sensitizing deputy commissioner and other district level government offices on indigenous issues.
• Introducing present situation of indigenous peoples to different local government offices as well as civil society.
• To get attention of local government authorities for the solution of existing indigenous people’s problems on education, land, health, human rights & for other important issues.

It should be mentioned at the beginning of the meeting the Executive Director of ECDO made a presentation on the present activities of ECDO & the existing situation of indigenous peoples.  In this meeting among the participants there were present different representatives from civil society, government and non government organizations. The deputy commissioner office gave some commitment to work for the solution of existing indigenous peoples problems. They also suggest to indigenous leaders to share with deputy commissioner office any kinds of problems on indigenous issues, so that they can take proper steps for solution. Finally, the deputy commissioner office thanked to ECDO for organizing like this exceptional important meeting on indigenous issues.

Last 9^th August, 2009 ECDO celebrated World Indigenous Day in Sylhet with other local indigenous people’s organization. Rally, discussion session and cultural program were organized on the occasion of the day. There were more than one thousand indigenous peoples from different indigenous communities took participate in that whole day program. Besides of these there were present City Mayor, government officials, civil society members, lawyers, journalists, academicians and other local leaders. In the discussion session, indigenous leaders raised to the government to ensure following some of their basic demands;

1. 1. Constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples.
2. 2. To form another special standing committee for indigenous at Sylhet City corporation and at union level where indigenous peoples are living.
3. 3. To ensure primary school for all indigenous community villages.
4. 4. To recruit indigenous community teachers at primary school considering the problem of language barrier for indigenous children.
5. To ensure mother tongue primary education for indigenous children.
6. To ensure government scholarship for the poor meritorious indigenous students.
7. To form a separate plane land indigenous ministry.
8. To preserve quota at college level and University level (especially for Sylhet region) for indigenous students for a specific period of time.
9. To provide training & loan facilities for ensuring employment opportunity of indigenous youths and girls.
10. To provide hostel facilities for the poor indigenous college and university students.
11. At last to ensure land rights for the indigenous community.

At the end of discussion session the honorable guests were also disclose the journal Annual Review of Ethnic Affairs Vol V, which is being published by ECDO every year on the occasion of world indigenous day since 2005. Mentionable that most of the indigenous leaders appreciated very much our honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for her important message on this day. The program was held very successfully with support from Oxfam GB at M. Saifur Rahaman auditorium, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Most of the local and national dailies covered this news emphasizing very highly.

 ECDO organized a Consultative Meeting with the Union Parishad to review their action plan progress for the past and coming year. ECDO is taking such initiative to make sure that Indigenous Peoples gain by ensuring equity in the disbursement of Union Parishad (UP) resources approved from the central government. The Union Parishad chairman reviewed the last year’s action plan and listed their achievements for the year, what is still being implemented and assured that those objectives not met will be accomplished in the coming year.

The indigenous people expressed their appreciation to the UP chairman for the work that has been done already and said they were very happy with the progress of the last year. For the coming year the UP chairman committed to building a Temple at Goabari village, Jaintapur upozila, under Sylhet district. Finally, ECDO on behalf of the Indigenous Community requested the UP chairman to ensure that the Social Safety Net Program (SSNP) such as Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) and Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) were properly distributed to the community. Mentionable that ECDO arranged like this consultative meeting at 5 Union Parishad in Sylhet Districts Northeastern part of Bangladesh.