Hill Voice, 17 August 2026, Special Correspondent: Two international organizations, the International Commission on the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT Commission) and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), have called for the withdrawal of the statements made by two government ministers, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, denying the identity of the Indigenous peoples in Bangladesh, as they are against international law and should be clarified.
Two government ministers made these comments at a roundtable discussion titled “Indigenous Identity is Irrelevant for Bangladesh” held in Dhaka on 11 August 2026.
At the roundtable discussion, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that there are no indigenous peoples in Bangladesh, everyone’s only identity is Bangladeshi. At the same time, he commented that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and ILO Convention 169 are not applicable to Bangladesh.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said that the term ‘indigenous’ is only applicable to countries like America, Australia or New Zealand and is irrelevant in Bangladesh.
Former Chief Prosecutor Advocate Mohammad Tajul Islam commented that recognizing the Indigenous identity would undermine sovereignty and require the relinquishment of one-tenth of the country’s territory.
The joint statement of the CHT Commission and IWGIA said, “Indigenous identity and citizenship of Bangladesh are not mutually exclusive. Indigenous people of Bangladesh are both citizens of the state and members of Indigenous communities. Indigenous identity is not a threat to state sovereignty or national security, but rather a recognized international norm.”
The statement further said that although Bangladesh is not a signatory to ILO Convention 169, it is a signatory to ILO Convention 107, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, CEDAW, ICCPR and ICESCR. As such, Bangladesh has a legal obligation to protect the identity, culture, institutions and rights of indigenous peoples to their traditional lands.
Article 23A of the Bangladesh Constitution and several state policies, including the Finance Act (1995), the Income Tax Act (2023), the National Education Policy (2010), and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recognize the distinct existence and culture of indigenous or hill peoples. Moreover, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has also addressed them as “Indigenous Peoples” on several occasions and has also given a message on the occasion of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2003.
The joint statement also noted that the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord recognized the Hill Tracts as a region with special characteristics dominated by tribal communities. If the denial of tribal identity continues, the spirit of the CHT Accord and confidence in the peace process will be weakened.
The organizations demanded the immediate withdrawal or clarification of the controversial statements of the two ministers; respect the right to self-identification instead of imposing insulting terms; not to obstruct the use of the word ‘Indigenous’ in the media or government institutions; stop such statements as anti-state, conspiratorial or a threat to national unity and sovereignty of peaceful Indigenous peoples’ movements; initiate dialogue with representative bodies, organizations, women, youth and rights activists of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and plains indigenous peoples; follow the principles of international agreements (ILO 107 and 169) and UNDRIP; and adopt a clear and time-bound roadmap for the full implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, including the resolution of land disputes through the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission and the withdrawal of military rule.
The statement concludes by saying that recognizing Indigenous peoples will not divide Bangladesh; rather, denying their identity, discrimination, and suppression can create division.