A resolution concerning the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh was unanimously adopted at the 21st General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from August 29 to 30.
The resolution calls on the Bangladesh government to fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord and withdraw temporary military camps from the region.
UNPO also called for the Chittagong Hill Tracts to be transformed into a demilitarized region under civilian administration.
Representing the Chittagong Hill Tracts at the assembly were Priti Bindu Chakma and Injebi Chakma, delegates from the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).
On the first day of the assembly, August 29, PCJSS representative Priti Bindu Chakma presented the resolution concerning the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The resolution was subsequently adopted by consensus.
The resolution stated that although more than 29 years have passed since the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, around two-thirds of its provisions, including key provisions of the agreement, have yet to be implemented.
As a result, the resolution said that the Chittagong Hill Tracts issue has yet to be resolved peacefully through political means.
It also stated that the special administrative system involving the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and the district councils of the three hill districts has not yet been fully implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Peace Accord.
According to the UNPO resolution, the human rights situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has also not improved significantly due to the failure to fully implement the Peace Accord.
The resolution further accused successive Bangladesh governments of pursuing policies of military expansion and repression in the region rather than resolving its problems through political and peaceful means.
UNPO is an organization that represents and advocates internationally for the political, human rights and self-determination concerns of unrepresented nations and peoples.
Ref: Hill Voice
