“The private sector, meanwhile, is a major reason why indigenous peoples have been marginalized from their own land. After all, it is the private sector that has been leasing IPs’ customary land for its own commercial interests.” However, there is a lot of discussion on the role of the international financial institutions, particularly Asian Development Bank (ADB). Since ADB provides financial and technical support to forestry programs, it becomes a key agent in the revision of forestry laws. ADB and the World Bank (WB), for example, funded a woodlot project for the production of fuel wood and an agro forestry and industrial plantation that have a negative impact on the economic, social and environmental conditions of the indigenous communities (Gain, et. al., 2005). Private Sector The private sector, meanwhile, is a major reason why indigenous peoples have been marginalized from their own land. After all, it is the private sector that has been leasing IPs’ customary land for its own commercial interests. It is known that indigenous peoples’ customary land in both the plain areas and the CHT has been leased out to the private sector by the government in the name of setting up rubber and other commercial plantations and ecotourism projects, among others. The primary beneficiaries 20 are influential Bengalis with a strong influence on political parties and the local governments. Therefore, to protect the IPs’ customary land, it is crucial to curtail the influence of private firms and their illegal actions. Civil Society In the fight for the land rights of indigenous peoples, it is necessary for civil society groups to come together and raise a unified voice and make it heard at the highest policy levels. Some IP organizations such as the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, Jatio Adivashi Parisad, Tribal Welfare Association for the Greater Mymensingh, CHT Citizens Committee, the Movement for the Protection of Forest and Land Rights, and the Headman Association are working for IPs land rights. They are very active in raising awareness of IP rights among various groups such as the government, media and academe. However, the capabilities of these organizations could still use improvement and they also need greater support from larger, mainstream NGOs to advocate and promote issues on indigenous peoples. Key opportunities and strategies to advance indigenous peoples’ customary rights There are international and national laws that aim to protect the indigenous people’s land rights. But these laws have not been upheld, leading to the easing out of many IPs from their land in the name of development and commercial interests. This alienation of indigenous peoples from their land can be attributed to a number of factors including the lack of enforcement of the current Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC)