C T Online Desk: Youth-led research under the UNESCO-supported Youth As Researchers (YAR): Indigenous Youth and Climate Change initiative has highlighted growing pressure on Indigenous communities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) from climate change, environmental degradation and human activities, including deforestation, monoculture plantations and resource extraction.
The research shows that Indigenous communities remain particularly vulnerable as their livelihoods, cultural practices and daily lives are closely tied to natural ecosystems. It also underscores the continued importance of traditional ecological knowledge in climate adaptation, even as these knowledge systems face increasing threats.
The findings were presented at the Research Dissemination Session on Indigenous Youth and Climate Change, held in Chittagong, marking the conclusion of the YAR initiative. The event brought together policymakers, academics, development partners, Indigenous leaders, civil society representatives, community members and youth researchers.
The session was attended by Dr Md Ziauddin, divisional commissioner of Chittagong; Dr Susan Vize, head of office and UNESCO representative to Bangladesh; and Barrister Raja Devasish Roy, chief of the Chakma Circle.
The initiative engaged five Indigenous youth research teams from the Chakma, Marma, Mro, Tripura and Tanchangya communities across the CHT. Each team explored distinct climate-related challenges through field-based, community-led research.
The Chakma team examined youth-led climate adaptation strategies in Rangamati, while the Marma team documented traditional survival practices and emerging adaptation challenges. The Mro team studied the impact of climate change on natural resources used in producing the traditional musical instrument Plung, highlighting concerns around cultural preservation.
The Tripura team explored the impacts of climate change on marginalised Indigenous women and their adaptation strategies, while the Tanchangya team examined water scarcity linked to stone extraction and the expansion of rubber and shegun plantations.
The YAR initiative is a global UNESCO framework adapted in Bangladesh to strengthen Indigenous youth leadership through research, climate advocacy and community engagement. It began in February 2025 following a national consultation on Indigenous language use and preservation convened by UNESCO, Maleya Foundation and Zabarang Kalyan Samity.
A total of 25 youth researchers received training in research methodologies, ethical considerations, data collection and community-based research before conducting fieldwork over several months. Their work produced research papers and policy briefs on climate impacts and adaptation strategies.
