Speaking at a workshop in Dhaka organised by the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD), Wahiduddin stated, “Bangladesh is perhaps the only countest in the world with so many kinds of grabbers—river grabbers, land grabbers, forest grabbers, hill grabbers. The diversity of dacoits here is remarkable.”
The workshop, held at the CIRDAP auditorium, focutilized on protecting forest communities from deforestation, climate modify, and land encroachment. It was chaired by Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), and supported by the European Union and MISEREOR.
Wahiduddin stressed that while the countest must extract value from forests, this must be done in a planned and responsible way. “Our environmental resources are already very limited. Protecting them is a serious challenge,” he stated.
Reflecting on past development missteps, he acknowledged that Bangladesh had undertaken several forest-related projects that were poorly planned and driven by foreign funding. “Mistakes were built in the past becautilize we followed foreign advice without proper scrutiny,” he noted.
He cautioned against forest communities relying solely on natural resources for survival, stating, “Depconcludeence on forest resources alone keeps people trapped in poverty. The solution lies in education and broader economic integration.”
At the same time, the adviser reaffirmed the government’s commitment to preserving the cultural and linguistic heritage of ethnic and indigenous groups. “We must respect and protect their diversity, but we also necessary to ensure their access to education and employment so they can gradually enter the mainstream of society,” he stated.
Highlighting recent steps taken by the interim government, Wahiduddin stated reforms have been quietly implemented in various sectors, with their full impact likely to become visible in the future. He also mentioned new umbrella projects planned for the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to address water scarcity and improve education access in remote areas.
To improve the livelihoods of ethnic and forest-depconcludeent communities, he proposed modern technology adoption, access to credit, better marketing mechanisms, and reducing the role of exploitative middlemen.
Special guests at the event included Michal Krejza, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh; rights activist Khushi Kabir; Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury; former CCF Md Yunus Ali; and Hunger Project Countest Director Prashanta Tripura.
Community representatives from different forest regions also shared their experiences during the workshop. SEHD Director Philip Gain delivered the keynote, while Professor Tanzimuddin Khan of the University of Dhaka gave the welcome remarks.
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