Marking the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, 17 human rights and civil society organisations—led by the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and the Bangladesh Indigenous Forum, and including Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, National Adivasi Council, BLAST, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and Nijera Kori—held a national seminar titled 'Indigenous Peoples: Respect for Life, Land Rights, and Culture' at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on August 6. Speakers demanded constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples, replacing terms such as 'sub-tribe' or 'ethnic group' in Article 23A with the term 'Indigenous People', and called for legal recognition of customary land rights. They urged strict enforcement of Section 97 of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 to prevent illegal transfer of plainland indigenous lands, and immediate reactivation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission to settle over 27,000 pending applications. Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Dr. Fauzia Moslem said land is the foundation of indigenous culture and existence, calling for an end to landlessness, legal recognition of customary land rights, and an independent land commission for plainland indigenous communities. TIB's Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman called for unconditional constitutional recognition and formation of a Parliamentary Caucus on Indigenous Affairs. This year's global theme for the day was 'Respecting Indigenous Midwives: Safety and Well-being in Life.'