Figure 1. Comparison of ethnic representation in traditional and local government institutions government institutions is minimal because of their minority position, low literacy rate and lack of leadership. They are unable to compete with the non-indigenous peoples such as the Bengali settlers, thus adversely affecting their ability to fight for their rights over land through traditional governance institutions. Legal framework In recognition of the special relationship between indigenous peoples and their land, international and national laws have been passed. The International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Populations of 1957 (Convention No. 107) was the first legal instrument on the recognition of IPs’ rights under the United Nations (UN) system. This convention was ratified by the government of Bangladesh in 1972, a year after its independence from Pakistan. 16 ILO Convention No. 107 is of utmost importance to the indigenous peoples, since it is the only treaty dealing directly and substantively with their rights, with articles relating to individual or collective ownership rights over traditionally occupied land, and the prohibition on the displacement of populations from their habitual territories. This was later replaced by the more progressive ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples No. 169, which was adopted in 1989. Bangladesh ratified the convention in 2013. ILO Convention No. 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognize indigenous peoples’ land rights. Considering the crucial importance of lands and territories for IPs, the Convention contains a series of provisions to protect their right to ownership and possession based on the recognition of the historical displacement of indigenous peoples Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC)