Small Grant in Bangladesh to address land and cultural rights of Indigenous Peoples

Small Grant in Bangladesh to address land and cultural rights of Indigenous Peoples is sponsored by Indigenous Navigator (supported by a unique funding mechanism). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

From Data to Action: How Small Grants Advance Indigenous Land Rights | Indigenous Navigator From Data to Action: How Small Grants Advance Indigenous Land Rights For Indigenous Peoples, land is more than just a resource; it is the foundation of identity, culture, and life itself. Yet, around the world, these vital connections are threatened by land grabbing, lack of legal recognition, and development projects that ignore their rights.

1 The Indigenous Navigator is built on a simple but powerful principle: Indigenous Peoples must be the authors of their own development. Through our community-led tools, Indigenous Peoples are generating their own data, making their realities visible, and identifying their own priorities. 3 But data is only the beginning.

The crucial next step is turning that evidence into action. This is where our Small Grants Facility (SGF) comes in. It is a unique funding mechanism that puts resources directly into the hands of Indigenous communities, empowering them to launch projects that address the challenges they have identified.

2 This is a shift from a needs-based model to a rights-based framework of self-determination. 7 Indigenous communities, supported by the SGF, are using their own data to launch powerful, targeted projects to secure their rights to land, territories, and resources. Securing the Legal Foundation The fight for land rights is often fought in courtrooms and government offices.

SGF projects provide critical support for communities navigating these complex legal and political arenas. In Bangladesh , where Indigenous Peoples face severe pressure and lack constitutional recognition, SGF projects provide a lifeline. 2 In Madhupur Garh, one project offers legal support to 50 Indigenous households targeted with "false cases"—a common tactic used to criminalize community members and facilitate dispossession.

Another project supports the Santal community, which has faced historical land loss and ongoing threats of forced eviction. These projects are a direct operationalization of the right to not be forcibly removed from their lands, as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). When national systems are unresponsive, communities use SGF support to take their fight to the international stage.

In Suriname , the Wit Santi and Hollandse Kamp communities first demarcated their own territory, creating their own map in a powerful act of political assertion. After their petitions to the government went unanswered, they did not give up.

Instead, with support from the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), they prepared a formal petition to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), demonstrating remarkable strategic flexibility. In other contexts, local advocacy proves most effective.

In Nepal , the Chhantyal Indigenous Peoples used IN data to launch a targeted campaign that successfully persuaded their local government to allocate funds for community empowerment and to include the Chhantyal language in the school curriculum.

Similarly, advocacy by the Magar community led to the formation of a joint task force with local government to explore the declaration of a Magar autonomous region—a profound step towards self-determination. Water and Forest Sovereignty Asserting control over natural resources is a powerful exercise of territorial sovereignty.

Many SGF projects advance land rights by focusing on the community-led governance of vital resources like water and forests. In the water-scarce region of Lomerío, Bolivia , the Monkox community used IN data to design a project that went beyond infrastructure. They focused on conserving 1,244 hectares of forest as a critical water catchment area, establishing their own community water committee and regulations for its management.

This is a direct assertion of their right to determine their own development priorities. In the Peruvian Andes, the Ccapac Hanco and Sunimarka communities are reviving ancient pre-Incan techniques for "sowing and harvesting" water, restoring ancient infiltration systems to ensure water availability during the dry season.

By re-legitimizing their own knowledge systems, they explicitly link water security to the "protection of the territory". Forests are often the heart of Indigenous territories. In Cambodia , the Bunong community, facing the loss of their sacred Yok Ansros Plom mountain to private companies, used an SGF project to draft a community-led conservation and management plan grounded in their traditions.

In a clear victory nearby, the Kui community successfully advocated for and were granted additional land for their community forest, directly expanding their legally recognized territory. Building the Institutions of Self-Governance Securing legal title to land is a milestone, not the final destination. Long-term security depends on strong institutions of self-governance.

The SGF supports the development of this essential "software" of territorial control. In Colombia , the Embera Katío people, facing threats from armed actors and extractive industries, developed formal bylaws for their Indigenous authorities and updated their "Plan de Vida" (Life Plan). This community-ratified document articulates their collective vision and strengthens their position when negotiating with state authorities.

A similar process is underway in Ecuador , where the Kichwa Kawsak Sacha people are creating a formal "Autonomous Territorial Statute" through a deeply participatory process involving women, youth, and elders. This is a landmark step in translating the right to self-determination into a concrete, functioning system of governance.

In Nepal , a project with the Dhimal community is fighting for the legal recognition of their customary self-government institution, the 'Majhi Orang'. This highlights a common struggle where functioning, generation-spanning Indigenous governance systems are rendered invisible by state legal frameworks. Securing this recognition is fundamental to their ability to manage their lands with legal authority.

Land Rights are Human Rights The SGF projects provide compelling, grassroots evidence that land rights are indivisible from all other human rights. Securing territory creates cascading positive impacts on culture, livelihood, and resilience. Food Sovereignty: In Peru , Wampis women are revitalizing traditional crops and seed exchange networks, re-establishing food security on their own terms.

5 In the Philippines , the Lambangian community is reviving their "sulagad" traditional farming system to rebuild food security after a devastating typhoon. Economic Empowerment: In Tanzania , the Akie and Hadzabe communities initiated beekeeping projects, leveraging a traditional practice into a sustainable economic enterprise that reinforces their presence on their territory.

Climate Resilience: In the coastal Sundarbans of Bangladesh , the Munda people face the dual threats of land grabbing and climate change impacts like salinization. The SGF project there recognizes that securing their land tenure is the critical first step in building their capacity to adapt.

Cultural Integrity: The struggle of the Bunong in Cambodia to protect a sacred mountain is not just an environmental dispute; it is a defense of their spiritual identity and collective soul. A Model for Self-Determined Development The stories from the Small Grants Facility are clear: when Indigenous Peoples are empowered with data and resources, they develop sophisticated, effective, and sustainable solutions.

The data-driven, community-led approach of the Indigenous Navigator supports strategies that are creating tangible change from the ground up. By investing in community-led monitoring and linking it to direct-access funding, we can support Indigenous Peoples not just in documenting their challenges, but in implementing their own solutions and realizing their right to self-determination.

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org/news/small-grant-in-tanzania-supports-the-akie-indigenous-peoples-rights-to-land-water-and Ensuring the land rights and adaptation with climate change in Bangladesh, accessed June 27, 2025, https://indigenousnavigator. org/news/ensuring-the-land-rights-and-adaptation-with-climate-change-in-bangladesh The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) Send link to page with mail Advisor, Data Generation and Analysis - IWGIA