Young Asian Indigenous Leaders
Introduction:
The UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Leadership Course for Young Leaders in Governance is part of an ongoing initiative of the Regional Centre in Bangkok. It was developed in recognition of the crucial role of youth in shaping our future, and the need to provide our young leaders with the technical and substantive know how to serve as excellent leaders in their field.
The aim of the leadership programme is to strengthen the governance capacities of young leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. It is as part of UNDP’s mandate to advocate for change and connect countries to global knowledge and experiences, and is a joint initiative of UNDP’s regional programmes: Capacity2015 Asia Programme, Asia Regional Governance Programme (ARGP), Asia Pacific Gender Mainstreaming Programme (APGMP) and the Regional Indigenous Peoples’ Programme (RIPP).
The Leadership Courses: 2005
UNDP RCB held the first regional course for Young Leaders in Governance from 28 November to 2 December, 2005 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The training was attended by 76 participants from 20 Asian countries representing different sectors including government, parliaments, NGOs and indigenous peoples. RIPP’s focus at the trainings is to provide the indigenous perspective at the trainings: (a) at the substantive level by ensuring indigenous peoples rights are mainstreamed in the curriculum and (b) including young indigenous leaders in the training.
The training curriculum is designed around technical modules developed and tested by LEAD International such as systems thinking for transformational change; conflict resolution and negotiation; cross-cultural communication for leadership; team building and networking; and leadership styles and tools. These are complemented by substantive/thematic modules developed by UNDP on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development; Capacity Assessment; Anti-Corruption and Gender.
Young Leaders in Governance Courses: 2006
In 2006 two sub-regional leadership courses implemented. The South-East Asia leadership course was held Bangkok, Thailand. It brought together 28 participants from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
The South Asia training was in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 27 participants attended the training from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In addition, two trainings were conducted by alumnae of the 1st Regional Training in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh and in the Philippines. Upon completing these courses, young indigenous leaders form a pool of trainers and resource people for work on indigenous issues in the future. They are the core members of the RIPP young leaders’ network. In total, the YLG has produced a network of 131 leadership fellows.
Module Adaptation and Sub Regional Courses: 2007
The AYLG has been awarded funding from the UN Democracy Fund to continue the Young Leaders in Governance Programme in 2007-8. Under this new project, further adaptations of the modules will be conducted and sub-regional and national leadership courses will be supported.
Building on the success of the previous years, in June 2007, an Adaptation Writeshop was held in Manila, Philippines, to review and strengthen AYLG course modules, with new thematic modules on indigenous peoples and gender, anti-corruption, and capacity development developed to supplement the existing course structure. The writeshop was attended by participants who have extensive knowledge and experience on leadership and governance issues and leadership development and training in the region. Selected graduates of the previous YLG leadership courses will also be invited. The enriched training modules were used in a Training of Trainers session, followed by a training course for young leaders in Southeast Asia, both held in Vientiane, Laos.
AYLG Innovative Country Projects: 2008
5 small grants were provided for Graduates in selected countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Philippines. Through the YLG programme, UNDP hopes to enhance its partnerships and networks in the region with governments, IPOs and other stakeholders with the active cooperation of UNDP country offices. RIPP will work closely with the other partners in this new project.
The AYLG Project has received tremendous support from country offices, governments, civil society, and other sectors in the region. Leadership Fellows are actively networking and communicating, sharing information and discussing leadership and governance issues that are relevant to their sectors and/or professions.
Upon completing these courses, young indigenous leaders form a pool of trainers and resource people for work on indigenous issues in the future. They are the core members of the RIPP young leaders network, and their details can be found below. For further information on our leadership training activities please contact UNDP-RIPP.
Members of the Indigenous Young Leaders Network:
Binota Moy Dhamai
Assistant General Secretary, Bangladesh Adivasi Forum
Binota Moy DHAMAI is Assistant General Secretary of Bangladesh Indigenous
Peoples Forum, commonly known as Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, a people’s
organization representing more than 45 indigenous communities from different
parts of the country. The organization works for the socio-economic,
cultural and land rights for indigenous peoples.
Binota Moy previously worked for the Chittagong Hill Tracts Hill Students’
Council (PCP), a students’ organization of CHT indigenous peoples
working for self-determination rights, in various positions including
General Secretary and Secretary for Organization and Public Relation
Affairs and Central Committee member. He also worked for Bangladesh
Indigenous Students Action Forum 2000 to 2003 as Convener and Central
Committee member.
Binota Moy completed his graduate and post-graduate degrees from Dhaka
University and recently completed a course on “Indigenous Peoples,
Human Rights and Development Training” through the Diplomacy Training
Program in Australia as well as a course on ‘Indigenous Peoples
in the International System’ in Greenland.
Amlan Chakma
Executive Director, Taungya
Amlan is Executive Director of Taungya, a local NGO at Rangamati Hill
District in Bangladesh. The word “Taungya” is rooted in
the traditional culture of all the indigenous peoples of the Chittagong
Hill Tracts.
Previously, Amlan worked as Internal Auditor cum Field Assistant for
Synergy Conservation Ltd. assigned at Begenachari Village of Barkal
Upazilla (sub district) in Rangamati Hill District. His main responsibilities
were to improve organizational and management capacities of the firms
and to motivate firm members to get involved closely in taking care
of planted trees.
Before joining Synergy, he served as Facilitator under an ADB Technical
Assistant project for which he organized and attended workshops in Upazila
and District level in the three Hill Districts, as part of the process
for formulating a ten-year development plan for CHT.
Amlan has a MSS degree in political science from National University
in 2000.
Alexius Chicham
Programme Officer, Indigenous Peoples Development Services
Alexius is a young Garo activist working actively for the rights of
indigenous peoples in Bangladesh. He was involved in the struggle to
protect the land rights of Khasi and Garo people and to stop the eco-park
project on their ancestral land in 2001. Prior to joining his present
organization, Alexius worked for World Vision Bangladesh, an International
NGO working for poverty reduction in the country.
Alexius has a Masters and Bachelor Degree in Social Science from Dhaka
University. He is interested in social mobilization and advocacy; promotion
of culture and diversity; information and communication technology (ICT),
sports, art and films and writing, among others.
Mathura Tripura
Executive Director, Zabarang Kalyan Samity
Mathura Tripura is the Executive Director of Zabarang Kalyan Samity,
a non-profit/non-governmental organization based at the Chittagong Hill
Tracts that is devoted to fostering community development, skills development,
human development and indigenous community development. As an Executive
Director, he is responsible for the overall organizational activities
of Zabarang including programme and resource coordination.
Mathura Tripura previously worked for the Hill Tracts NGO Forum, the
local network of CHT NGOs as District Coordinator for Khagrachari from
2001 to 2002. In that capacity, he was responsible for developing its
institutional capacity building plan and implementing/conducting a series
of capacity building trainings and other activities for the CHT NGOs,
which includes about 53 NGOs in number. He has written a number of articles
on indigenous culture, history, language and other relevant issues in
various newspapers and magazines.
He has a masters degree from Chittagong University in 2000.
Naieu Prue Marma
Member, Balukhali Union Parishad
Naieu Prue is an elected female UP Member from the Rangamati Hill District
in Chittagong Hill Tracts. Her current responsibilities, research focus
and interests include representation of local people in government,
and the effective coordination of national development activities in
the area.
Lanusangla Tzudir
Research Associate, Dialogues for Indigenous Culture and Environment
(DICE)
Lanusangla is responsible for coordinating research on the impact of
dams on women and in bringing out campaign materials on the subject.
The Dialogues on Indigenous Culture and Environment (DICE) is a research,
campaign and advocacy centre dedicated to assisting grassroots level
workers in their struggles against hazards caused by big corporations.
It attempts to integrate and effectively advocate the rights of the
communities threatened by the irresponsible activities of Oil and Hydel
Corporations operating in the Naga Areas presently under India and Burma.
It was established with the initial objective of documenting the most
pertinent issues and bringing out campaign materials on the basis of
the documentation so as to support and assist the local community leaders.
Before Joining DICE, Lanusangla was a Research Assistant to Professor
A Vasanta of the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at the Jawaharlal
Nehru University, and was also the Convenor of the Nagaland Research
Scholar’s Forum.
Lanusangla has a Ph. D in Modern Indian History from the Jawaharlal
Nehru University and has written a book on the “From Head Hunting
to Christianity: Questions of Cultural Identity in Aoland”, under
publication by Mosaic Books, New Delhi which is expected to be out in
early 2006.
Rita Boro
Coordinator, Indigenous Women Leadership Programme
Centre for Organization Research and Education (CORE)
Rita currently coordinates the Indigenous Women Leadership Programme
of the Centre for Organization Research and Education (www.coremanipur.org),
an indigenous peoples’ policy research and advocacy organization
based in the North East of India. CORE institutes and coordinates an
extensive range of programme activities related to indigenous peoples’
and women’s rights to self-determination, lands and natural resources,
health-care, gender issues and the rights of children.
Rita has an Electrical Engineering Diploma from Assam Engineering Institute
and is a graduate of Political Science from Guwahati University, Assam,
India.
Songphonsak Ratanawilailak
Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand Association
Mr. Songphonsak Ratanawilailak is 32 years old, and has been working
with the Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand Association
(IMPECT) since 1997. He began work with the organization as a teacher
in a highland village school for three years. After this he was selected
as the mentor / facilitator of the Natural Resource Management Network
of Community Organizations (Mae Khan watershed and Mae Wang watershed
in Chiang Mai Province) which worked on the use of traditional and indigenous
local knowledge in the management of resources (land, water and forests),
such as the forest ordination ceremony, fire protection line creation,
water spirit worship for fish species protection, lobby work for the
Community Forest Bill and other activities. From 2003 until now he has
been the coordinator of the Morwakhi community school and the coordinator
of the Pga k’nyau Network under IMPECT Association.
His interests in participating in this training are to exchange experiences
in development with others; to gain techniques and skills in presentation
and project / human resource management; and to gain information about
work practices.
Erma Suryani Ranik
Director, Perkumpulan PENA
Erma is the Executive Director of Perkumpulan PENA, a non-profit, non-governmental
organization that aims to empower the Dayak indigenous peoples in the
borders of Malaysia and Indonesia in West Kalimantan. She was involved
as a researcher for UNDP Indonesia’s Access to Justice assessment
in early 2005, and in that capacity was responsible for identifying
and analyzing the situation of disadvantaged groups in West Kalimantan.
Erma also previously worked as a journalist. She served as content
editor of Kalimantan Review magazine, a monthly magazine dedicated to
covering indigenous peoples issues in Kalimantan, and as freelance journalist
to The Jakarta Post in West Kalimantan.
Erma has a law degree from the University of Tanjungpura in West Kalimantan.
Sombolinggi Rukka
International Advocacy Coordinator of Aliansi Masyarakat
Adat Nusantara or AMAN, and Programme and Policy Advisor
Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Toraya (AMA TORAYA)
Rukka is the International Advocacy Coordinator of Aliansi Masyarakat
Adat Nusantara or AMAN (http://www.aman.or.id),
an organization of indigenous peoples in Indonesia which as of today
has 1025 indigenous communities and more than 30 indigenous organizations
as members. She belongs to the Toraya People in central part of Sulawesi
Island.
She produced “Standing Strong On the Tsunami Ruins” in
April 2005, a film documentary about Indigenous communities affected
by Tsunami in Aceh. The film was funded and presented by AMAN and Assembly
of First Nations (AFN Canada) before a side event during the 4th Session
of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 16-27 of May 2005 at
the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.
Before joining AMAN in 1999, Rukka worked for JAPHAMA (Jaringan Pembelaan
Hak-hak Masyarakat Adat), a network of indigenous peoples’ defenders
-- one of the main groups that convened the first congress of indigenous
peoples in Indonesia in March 1999 during which AMAN was established.
Jennifer Corpuz
Tebtebba Foundation, Baguio City
Jennifer coordinates the Legal Desk of Tebtebba, or the Indigenous
Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education
(http://www.tebtebba.org), an
indigenous peoples’ organization engaged in policy research and
advocacy for the protection and promotion of indigenous peoples’
rights.
She is responsible for legal and policy research and analysis of global,
regional and national instruments that affect indigenous peoples. She
is also responsible for the biosafety component of Tebtebba’s
project on capacity building for indigenous peoples’ implementation
of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Before joining Tebtebba, Jennifer was active in several student organizations
and in the University Student Council (USC). She was Education and Research
Committee Head of the University of the Philippines Mountaineers, an
environmental group. She was twice a USC councilor, heading the Secretariat
and Popular Struggles Committees.
Jennifer has a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, both from the University of
the Philippines. She passed the Bar Examinations in 2005 and is a member
of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. She is a Kankana-ey Igorot
from the Cordillera Region of Northern Philippines.
