Bhattacharya: Govt actions need to reflect SDG pledges

Distinguished Fellow of the Center for Policy Dialogue Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said on Wednesday that Bangladesh’s actions need to better reflect their pledges with regard to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), as the rights of indigenous peoples were still curtailed. While speaking at a national inception workshop on improving indigenous peoples’ access to justice and development through community-based monitoring and reporting, Dr Bhattacharya said: “While the government of Bangladesh has ratified the SDGs, its activities do not reflect its promises to ensure indigenous people’s rights in line with the SDGs.” Under the slogan “leaving no one behind,” the two day long workshop was organised by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) and Kapaeeng Foundation at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Conference Hall in Dhaka. Dr Bhattacharya, also the convener of the citizen’s platform for SDGs Bangladesh, said that governments’ often restrict the movement of indigenous people, but such acts should not acceptable. “The difference between the governments’ pledges and acts must be dispelled,” he added. Meanwhile, the ILO and Kapaeeng Foundation, in collaboration with the Bangladesh government, also used the workshop to jointly launch “Indigenous Navigator,” a set of virtual tools for and by indigenous peoples to systematically gather their own data and use it for multiple purposes. The project is worth €3.3 million for three years. The project was widely praised by leaders and activists at the workshop, as it would provide a valuable means to record data on indigenous people and provide them with a direct link to the government.