Needs Assessment & Recommendations

It has also brought to the notice of the participants about the report of the Needs Assessment Committee headed by Mr. Ali Haider Khan, a retired bureaucrat of Bangladesh government. The participants opined it as an unsubstantial and stated that the report submitted by the mission has not reflected the suggestions made by the local cross-section Jumma peoples and their leaders. Rather, it has made some controversial statements, suggestions and recommendations that would ultimately undermine the development of the Jummas. The participants straightly rejected the report of the mission and the proposals made therein. A joint statement also made by the participants in this regard strongly protested against the report (annexed).

$B%D!!(BWith a view to assess the needs and work out a perspective plan and recommendations, the situation was analyzed & evaluated on the basis of the up-date report of CHT.

Priority areas

1. Rehabilitation

To rehabilitate all the refugees, internally displaced and JSS members including the victims of atrocities and the peoples below poverty lever In this respect, rehabilitation program shall have to be undertaken in short and long-term based on its needs. These may be like: construction and/or renovation of houses or dwellings; supply of food or ration allowances for rice, milk, lintel, salt, oil, sugar etc.; allocation of land; distribution of agricultural inputs (seed, fertilizer, bullocks, tractor, power tillers etc.).

2. Education

To eliminate illiteracy, formal and non-formal educational program must be launched in the CHT. More primary schools and/or non-formal primary education centers to be opened so that all the children of the CHT areas have opportunity to participate. The media and/or language of such education should be introduced with different ethnical language. An extra curriculum shall have to be developed for this purpose. Adequate number of high school and colleges need to be opened. An educational policy paper in this regard has to be prepared to ensure the education for all. Needs based on Adult literacy & community education program shall have to be introduced. Human Resource Development & Skills Training program should be introduced so that all the able peoples of this area will be turned into skilled manpower and could contribute in nation building activity and sustainable development.

3. Health

The majority of the peoples are suffering from multifarious health related problems due to lack of health care system, food & nutrition, drinking water and sanitation facilities etc. It is an emergent need to launch a program for community based Primary Health Care (PHC) and supply of tube-wells and sanitary materials are necessary to address those problems. To reduce the child & maternal mortality rate, either adequate number of trained midwives and nurses to be deployed in the region or local people have to be recruited and trained properly. More hospitals and health centers need to be set up to take care of the needs of the CHT residents.

4. Agriculture

Generally, most of the peoples of CHT region depend on agriculture for their day to day living. Hence, emphasize should be given on irrigation and utilization of all cultivable and fallow lands for the agricultural production purpose. To ensure supply of seeds and seedlings Community based Nursery & Tree plantation Program may be promoted and Homestead Vegetables & Fruits Gardening Program for own family consumption to supplement nutritional deficiency as well as to increase their income through selling of surplus to the market. Agro-based Training may be organized for all the able unemployed peoples of this area irrespective of their gender. Agricultural tools could also be made accessible to the peoples.

To establish linkages among the growers in order to ensure getting supply of agricultural inputs, formation of cooperative may be encouraged. On the other hand, to ensure the price and marketing of products collective initiatives may be fostered. All sorts of cooperation including irrigation facilities and demonstration plots for seasonal fruits and different high yield varieties of agricultural products may be undertaken for extension of agriculture.

5. Small & Cottage Industries

There has been potentiality of flourishing cottage industries at small scale on the basis of locally available raw materials; or agro based industries and all sorts of technical and financial assistance need to be extended to the Jumma Peoples.

6. Socio-economic and Culture

Formation of homogeneous groups with Jumma peoples (homogeneity in terms of their area of livings, age, sex, language, socio-economic conditions etc.) and facilitate them so that they can take part in the activities that would eventually ameliorate their social, economical and cultural conditions. With this end in view, several participatory programs, like: Savings & Credit Schemes, Human Resource & Leadership Development may be undertaken in perspective. To arouse their latent potentiality and values and preserve the distinct culture and heritage participatory plan and action may be encouraged.

7. Environmental Development

To make the people aware and raising their consciousness about environment and how to preserve and protect the natural resources like rain forests, animal etc., in CHT, community based campaign & orientation program against cruelty of animal killings and deforestation may be undertaken. Efforts must be made to ensure ecological balance and research should be undertaken to properly examine the effect and take necessary measures to I counter the changes of the environment in the CHT.

8. Lands and Lands Resource Management

To develop all individual and community lands in such a degree so that those lands turned into arable lands. Land Resource Management training may be imparted so that the community lands could be utilized for the purpose of benefit and development of the community.

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Perspective plans and recommendations

i) the Regional Council will design a comprehensive master plan on the basis of the perspective plans that has to be made by three Hill District Councils;

ii) to compliment the plans & programs of the Regional Council and Hill District Councils; local non-governmental development organizations must be formed and support to be extended to promote their programs;

iii) donor governments, institutions and non-governmental development organizations should consider socio-cultural, political and economical system of the Jumma Peoples before granting any financial aid for the CHT;

iv) development programs should be undertaken in participatory approach from bottom to up not up to bottom;

Plan of action

A. National Level

• Mobilization of the Jumma Peoples for unity on the basis the Jumma Nationalism;
• Continue dialogue with the Bengali majorities including different political parties, professionals, intellectuals, human rights, cultural groups and different NGOs to raise awareness, mobilize support and also with respect to their role in implementing the treaty and other issues of the CHT;
• Continue programs such as meeting, seminars, workshops and conference in support of the implementation of the treaty;
• Monitor on human rights, implementation of the treaty, development policy of the government & non-governmental organizations, rehabilitation of the members of the JSS, Jumma refugees, internally displaced, forcibly relocated and traumatized peoples including victims of the atrocities particularly children and women etc. and widely disseminate information through report, news letter, bulletin and call for urgent action if necessary;
• Campaign against gross violations of human rights including arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, harassment, rape, gang rape and so on;
• Continue to demand to set up new impartial investigation team on the series of massacre, atrocities, rape, gang rape, kidnapping including the case of Ms. Kalpana Chakma and trial the perpetrators and culprits for exemplary punishment;
• Continue campaign against any development policy that may affect the social, cultural, political and economical system and cause of destruction in the long run;
• Campaign for reaffirming inalienable rights of lands and land reclamation ;
• Campaign to withdraw the Bengali settlers outside of the CHT;

B) International Level

• Mount a worldwide campaign with a new dimension to raise awareness and support on the implementation of the treaty and reconstruct and reformation of the devastated Chittagong hill Tracts;
• Extensive lobby to different donor governments, donor institutions, UN & its specialized agencies, media, development, human rights and environmental organizations, independent peace keeping initiative, support and solidarity groups for implementation of the treaty;
• Raise awareness on fundamental and thematic issues including land settlement, development programs and impact of mega projects on local peoples;
• Lobby donor governments, institutions and non governmental funding organizations for funding to participatory and sustainable development programs considering preservation and protection of the distinct tradition, culture, language, religion and values of the Jumma Peoples in the CHT;
• Lobby European Economic Commission (EEC) and parliament for promotion and implementation of successive two resolutions adopted by European Parliament with regard to withdrawal of the settlers from the CHT and rehabilitate them to elsewhere by its full financial assistance;
• Lobby United Nations and its specialized agencies to influence Bangladesh government for ratification and application of various covenants including ILO Convention - 169 concerning indigenous/ tribal peoples;

C) Follow-up Peace Conference

The participants discussed elaborately about the needs and importance of convening an international conference on CHT issues. All of them deemed it necessary to have an international follow-up conference in this present context. To eliminate the existing problems it is most important to inform about the up-date situation and highlight the problems before the international communities in a befitting manner and seeking their support and cooperation for its remedies. They also pointed out that the Bangkok Declaration was very much effective to draw the attention of the global community about Jumma Peoples struggles and their demands.

In the changing circumstances after the Bangkok Conference and Peace Accord, it would be an inevitable and appropriate step to organize a follow-up international peace conference in order to resolve the problems and achieve sustainable peace & development in the CHT. Therefore, it has been resolved that an international conference shall have to be organized as soon as possible to highlight the crux of the problems and find out its solution.

The participants unanimously resolved to form a Steering Committee with the members as mentioned hereunder. They also entrusted JPA to act as a project holder and vested the mandatory power and responsibility to JPA to organize the conference. From now onward JPA at its discretion will thrive to formulate project proposal for this purpose and maintain liaison with the Steering Committee, member organizations and international community in all matters related to the follow-up international conference on CHT.

It has also been resolved that JPA in collaboration with any other organization(s) could jointly sponsor the conference. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint sponsorship can be decided by the steering committee. The venue of the conference may be determined in any suitable place on the basis of the availability of facilities, but preferably in Japan or Europe or Canada. The duties and responsibilities will be shared amongst the members of the steering committee through further consultation. The secretariat of the JPA will take all initiatives to materialize the conference and its success in consultation with the steering committee and parties concerned.

STEERING COMMITTEE

1. Mr. Subodh Bikash Chakma -Convener

2. Mr. PradhirTalukder -Member

3. Ven.Prajnalankar Bhikkhu -Member

4. Mr. Shaktipada Tripura -Member

5. Ms. Weching Marma -Member

6. Mr. Jiten Chakma -Member

7. Mr. Kulottam Chakma -Member

Reorient the role and redefine responsibility of the Jumma peoples and formulate campaign strategy

A threadbare discussion was held on the above points considering the post agreement situation in the CHT. It was stressed the needs for reorientation of the role and redefine the responsibility of different Jumma Peoples organizations at home and abroad represented in the meeting and working with common aims & objectives towards achieving sustainable peace in the CHT.

Although each Jumma organization in home and abroad has its own plan and programs, but the ultimate aims & objectives are common. Considering the same mission and vision, the representatives of the different organizations have reached into following consensus in the round table meeting:

1. In order to achieve the intended goal, all organizations must work through consultation, integrating all of their efforts in a coordinating process;
2. Jumma Peoples Alliance (JPA) will play a central role of coordination amongst the different organizations working at home & abroad and its secretariat will work as an International Coordination Office of the Jumma Peoples. All of the organizations will keep coordination vice-versa and they would have to extend their support and cooperation to the JPA. JPA will prepare a concrete plan & program according to its role and responsibility and also raise fund for the implementation of its programs;
3. Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) as the leading political organization of the Jumma Peoples will play a pivotal role with regard to overall coordination, consultation, design perspective plan and program assessing the needs in the post agreement situation;
4. The CHT Hill Peoples Councils, Hill Students Council and Hill Women Federation will work in a common platform on common issues apart from their respective programs;
5. Jumma Peoples Link, Humanity Protection Forum and Peace Campaign Group will keep close contact with each other including coordination with other organizations;

Recommendations

• all the Jumma peoples organizations/ or individuals are advised to work in the coordinating process and keep contact with JSS in home and JPA in abroad;
• a national office for all the Jumma Peoples organizations in home shall be set up in Bangladesh;
• all other individual Jumma Peoples and/or organizations working in home and abroad are advised to work with the set coordinating process, it means to consult with JSS at home and JPA in abroad;