New report outlines actions

A new report outlining the framework for sustainable development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was launched in Kathmandu.

"Twenty-five action points to support sustainable development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been incorporated into the 7th Five Year Plan of Bangladesh," said Secretary to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura, while addressing the launching ceremony on Wednesday.

The points were developed based on recommendations made during a consultation organised by the ministry with the Bangladesh Planning Commission and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Dhaka this May, said an ICIMOD press release yesterday.

ICIMOD, a Kathmandu-based research organisation, works on Himalaya climate change and other environmental issues.

The framework and perspective suggested in the report "A Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh" formed the basis for multi-stakeholder consultation and the development of recommendations. 

"This framework outlines the steps needed to seize new development opportunities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, while making its ecosystems and communities more resilient to changing socioeconomic and climatic conditions," said Tripura.

Dr Golam Rasul, livelihoods team leader at ICIMOD and author of the report, said the report provides perspective and framework to better understand and address the particular development challenges faced by the CHT people.

"Key stakeholders like the Planning Commission and Prime Minister's Office were engaged in development of the report," he said.

The report was launched during the Himalayan University Consortium Summit, which was attended by more than 40 participants, including members of the ICIMOD Board of Governors, representatives from universities both within and outside the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, and journalists.