On last 18 December, 2011 ECDO organized a workshop on Leadership Development & Human Rights for College and University going indigenous students. About 45 indigenous students from different community in Sylhet region participated in that workshop. Mr. Laskshmikanta Singh, Executive Director of ECDO made an introductory speech about his organization and its activities through a multimedia presentation.

Professor Dr. Faisal Ahmmed from Social work department, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was present in that workshop as a resource person. He made two presentations on human rights and leadership. He also described the present situation of indigenous community on the context of Bangladesh and justified why training on leadership and human rights are important for indigenous students. He suggested the students to know about his/her community so that they can take necessary initiative and make plan for the development of their own community. Mr. Lakshmikanta said working on indigenous peoples he found most of the mainstream community peoples are also very much concern about the problems of indigenous peoples. So the leaders of indigenous peoples and others who are working for the development of indigenous community should work together with mainstream civil society members for getting their valuable support & cooperation to establish the rights of indigenous peoples. Further he suggests the indigenous students for establish good relationship with mainstream community students so that indigenous peoples can get their valuable support on indigenous issue. The students thanked to ECDO for organizing like this valuable workshop on leadership development for indigenous students. The participant students were from Khasi, Manipuri, Garo, Hajong, Pangal and some other community. ECDO was organized this workshop with support from Oxfam GB under its Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plan Land-SIPPL project.

A women leadership training was organized by ECDO during 10th -12th December 2011 in Sylhet. Twenty five women representatives from different indigenous Community Based Organizations (CBO) for women participated in the training. The main objective of this training was to develop their capacity to ensure women empowerment in the society. Advocate Sayeda Shirin Akhter, Divisional head of Sylhet Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) was present as the chief facilitator in the training. Advocate Zakia Jalal lawyer of Sylhet district Judge Court was also present as a facilitator of this three day long training. In this training session topics on women’s leadership, concept of development, present status of women on the context of Bangladesh, a brief discussion on violence against women, CEDAW, negative impact of early marriage etc were widely discussed before the participants. Two video clips related to women’s rights & violence against women was also shown as part of training session. At the last day, as part of the closing session, S. Rina Devi, President, Bangladesh Manipuri Mahila Samity, shared her experience how indigenous people fight for their rights and as woman how much struggle is to ensure rights. In his concluding speech, Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh Executive Director of ECDO, requested all participants to ensure proper utilization of knowledge and skills what they have learnt in the training for establish women rights in their respective societies for stopping violence against women and for ensuring their rights. This training program was organized by ECDO under its Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plain Land- SIPPL project funded by Oxfam GB.

A workshop was organized by ECDO on the importance of bi-lingual education for indigenous children. The workshop was held in a hotel conference hall at Sylhet city chaired by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh Executive Director of ECDO on 28th November 2011. Community leaders, and influential personalities of indigenous groups in Sylhet area was the key participants of the workshop. As well as members of civil society, teachers and NGO representatives were also present in the workshop. Mr. N M Ziaul Alam, Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet Division was present as Chief Guest in that workshop. Mr. Khan Md. Bilal, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sylhet, Mr. Abdur Rahman, Divisional Deputy Director of Primary Education department was also present as special guest.

Professor Dr. Faisal Ahmmed of Social Work department, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet presented key paper through multimedia presentation on the importance of bilingual education for indigenous children especially at primary level.  At the beginning of the workshop a presentation was also delivered by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh about some achievement of community teachers’ recruitment project in government primary schools by ECDO since 2008 at Goainghat Upozela under Sylhet district. In his presentation he showed the gradual progress of indigenous children in the respective schools after recruitment of local indigenous teachers.

Just after this presentation Professor Faisal presented his key paper before the audience. He addressed the difficulties and challenges that are frequently encountered by indigenous children at the time of receiving primary education. Referring research findings he pointed out that mainly due to language barriers many of indigenous children can not continue education or can not learn school lesson properly.  In his presentation he shows why indigenous teacher is important for the better learning of indigenous student.

Mr. N M Ziaul Alam, Chief Guest of the workshop appreciated ECDO’s community teachers’ recruitment project. He ranked ECDO as an excellent organization which is doing very good job for ensuring primary education for indigenous children. Further he comments that the government should replicate ECDO’s model and can recruit indigenous teacher for ensuring quality education as well as to reduce drop-out rate among indigenous children. Mr. Khan Md. Bilal, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sylhet assured ECDO for any kind of assistance in relation with their education project.  Mr. Abdur Rahaman Especial Guest also appreciated for the initiative taken by ECDO for better education of indigenous children. As a responsible person he showed his commitment to cooperate ECDO for continuing their project. This workshop was organized by ECDO with the support from Oxfam GB under Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plan Land – SIPPL project.

12 days long Skilled Development Training on Sewing, Block, Boutique was held on 19-30 November 2011 at Alaibahar & Bhararhat, Khadimnagar, Sylhet. The training session inaugurated by Mr. Abdul Mannan, Upozilla Youth Officer of Sylhet Sadar. The training session was inaugurated by Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh, Executive Director of ECDO with the Khadimnagor Union Member  Md. Nazim Uddin Imran as the special guest.

Chief Guest Mr. Abdul Mannan in his speech expressed his thanks to ECDO for this type of training session which will help to develop the adolescents skills . The training was a joint initiative of ECDO and Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) under Development Initiative to Promote Transforming Youth and Adolescents (DIPTYA) Project. A total number of 40 female adolescents took participate in these trainings.

Ethnic Community Development Organization – ECDO have launched Development Initiative to Promote Transforming Youth and Adolescents – DIPTYA project from 1st July 2011 with support from Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF).

Under this project 5 adolescent groups will be formed consisting 20 members each group and also a discussion session will be held with each adolescent group in every month.

In this monthly group meeting the facilitator will discuss on Human Rights, Women Rights, Child Rights & about Right to Information Act (RTI) to make aware about their rights among the adolescents.

ECDO have celebrated World Indigenous day in Sylhet divisional head quarter on 9^th August 2011. More then ten to fifteen different local indigenous people’s organizations took participate in that day celebration. A colorful rally was arranged on the occasion of that day observation and there were more than one thousand indigenous men and women took participate in the rally bearing placard written to ensure many of their demands to the government. Among many of their demands one of the mentionable demand was to ensure constitutional rights for the indigenous peoples of the country.

After a colorful rally a discussion session was arranged at Central Shaheed Minar Chattar, Sylhet. Many non-indigenous civil society members including a local woman Member of Parliament (MP) of the ruling party Sayeda Jebunnesa Haque, Advocate Emadullah Shahidul Islam President, Sylhet Bar Association and many indigenous leaders took participate in that discussion session. Most of the speakers criticized the present government for not recognize the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples of Bangladesh. And the woman MP Sayeda Jebunnesa Haque committed she will share about the demand of indigenous peoples to Prime minister for her valuable consideration. Mentionable, that the whole program was organized by the ‘World Indigenous Day observation Committee of Sylhet’. It should be mentioned that ECDO was started celebration of World Indigenous Day in Sylhet Divisional head quarter since 2005 and still it is going on.

Ethnic Community Development Organization-ECDO launched Support to Indigenous Peoples in Plain Land-SIPPL project from 1^st July 2011 with support from Oxfam GB. ECDO already completed another project Anagrasar Gono Unnayan Project with Oxfam GB which had been started in 2007 for the period of three years. After successfully completion of that project, ECDO started the above mentioned project with Oxfam GB for the period of 1^st July 2011 to 31^st March 2014.

The main objectives of the second phase project is to develop Capacities of adibashi population at different level and local Community Based Organization-CBO’s are enhance to enable to claim their rights and entitlements from government and different service providers. And in the education sector School System strengthened for ensuring the Adibashi children have greater access to bi-lingual pre-primary education and formal education provided by NGOs and Government respectively. And the last objective is to strengthening the Women leadership to protect women rights and ending violence against women in our society. This project will be implemented in three Upozellas (Sub-district) of Sylhet district where different indigenous peoples are concentrated.

The main activities of this project is to recruit indigenous teachers at Government primary school for the convenient of indigenous children to received their lesson with the help of their mother tongue teachers, organizing School Management Committee (SMC) meeting, meeting with parents, organizing training, seminar and meeting with different stakeholder including local government representatives for ensuring the rights of local indigenous groups.

Ethnic Community Development Organization-ECDO launched Development Initiative to Promote Transforming Youth and Adolescents – DIPTYA project from 1st July 2011 with support from Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). It is a pilot project for ECDO with MJF. After one year capacity building trainings ECDO & MJF have an agreement for this pilot project. ECDO will arrange trainings on Income Generating Activities (IGA) for one hundred participants. All participants will be within the age limit of 15-24. The main objective of this project is 1. to develop skill for improving their socio economic status through income generating activities of young and adolescents, 2. to enhance the awareness on human rights and RTI of young and adolescents.

 Among these 100 participants 60 participants will select from women and 40 from men. They will also be ensuring about the awareness on the act of Right to Information and Women Rights as well as IGA training. ECDO will select most of the project participants from indigenous community. This project will be end on 31 March 2011 as per our agreement. It is extendable subject to our proper and quality implementation of the project.

Theme:

“Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future”

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

In 1994, the General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year during the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (Resolution 49/214 of 23 December). The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.

The UN General Assembly had proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People, and the same year, the Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, starting on 10 December 1994 (Resolution 48/163). The goal of the First Decade was to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health.

In 2004, the UN General Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples through Resolution 59/174. The goal of the Second Decade is to further the “strengthening of international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development, by means of action-oriented programs and specific projects, increase technical assistance, and relevant standard-setting activities”.

Secretary-General’s Message for 2011

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we reaffirm the rights of indigenous peoples and our shared commitment to advance the values of equity, justice and dignity for all.

Indigenous peoples represent remarkable diversity — 5,000 distinct groups in some 90 countries. They make up more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, some 370 million people. Together, they are custodians of a valuable and often fast-disappearing cultural heritage. We see their creativity and innovations in the arts, literature and the sciences. These contributions are highlighted by the theme of this year’s observance, “Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future”.

Indigenous peoples face many challenges in maintaining their identity, traditions and customs, and their cultural contributions are at times exploited and commercialized, with little or no recognition. We must work harder to recognize and strengthen their right to control their intellectual property, and help them to protect, develop and be compensated fairly for the cultural heritage and traditional knowledge that is ultimately of benefit to us all.

I encourage all Member States to take concrete steps to address the challenges facing indigenous peoples — including marginalization, extreme poverty and loss of lands, territories and resources. Countries should also commit to ending the grave human rights abuses that indigenous peoples encounter in many parts of the world.

As we look forward to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014, I urge all Member States to work in full partnership with indigenous people to identify practical ideas and proposals for action at this important gathering.

Together, let us celebrate and recognize the stories, cultures and unique identities of indigenous peoples around the world. At the same time, let us work to strengthen their rights and support their aspirations.

                                                                                                                                                                          Ban Ki-Moon

On 9th March, 2011Wednesday speakers urged the government to formulate an appropriate policy to face the adverse impacts of climate change and global warming. They also stressed the need for strong alliance of the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) to keep up the pressure on developed nations to reduce carbon dioxide emission.
Bangladesh would be the worst victim of global climate changes and the food and health security of the citizens would become more vulnerable because of natural disaster caused by climate change, the speakers said at a workshop on ‘Divisional-level sharing workshop on Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation’. The event was organised jointly by local NGO Ethnic Community Development Organization (ECDO), VARD, RWDO, SSS and Shrimangal Foundation and finance by Concern Bangladesh at the Sylhet District Council auditorium. Addressing the workshop as Chief Guest, City Mayor Mr. Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran said the government would not allow any polluting industry and has already made it mandatory for state-owned units to set up waste management devices. He said the new industrial policy will encourage environment-friendly industrialisation.
“We must demand compensation from developed countries for damages we are facing because of their acts,” he added. The mayor also said the government is continuing its efforts at international forums to realise compensation for victims of climate change. Executive Director of ECDO Mr. Lakshmikanta Singh delivered the welcome speech. Presided over by VARD Director Mr. Shahid Uddin Mahmud, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sylhet Sadar Mr. Enamul Habib, Deputy Director of Environment Department Md. Zillur Rahman, Vice-Chairman of Companygonj Upazila Ms. Nasrin Jahan Fatema, Md. Abdul Hamid, Head, Organizational Development & Education Unit Concern Universal Bangladesh also spoke at the workshop. A presentation was made by Mr. Masud Rana Asst. Project Manager of Concern  Universal.  Ms. Sabrin Sultana Project officer of Concern Universal was also present in that workshop.

Program related media link;

The Daily Independant: http://theindependentbd.com/paper-edition/metropolitan/dhaka/38236-focus-on-global-warming.html