Building Lasting Peace and Prosperity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Reading Time: 4 minutes Integrating Communities Through Development, Security, and National Unity The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), comprising Khagrachari, Rangamati, and Bandarban, are among Bangladesh’s most diverse and strategically significant regions. Blessed with lush forests, rivers, and a rich cultural heritage, the area is home to numerous indigenous communities alongside Bengali settlers. While decades have passed since the 1997 Peace Accord, the CHT continues to face challenges in socio-economic development, connectivity, governance, and security. The path forward requires an integrated strategy combining community-led development, robust security infrastructure, cultural integration, and economic opportunity, transforming the region into a model of stability and national cohesion. Socio-Economic Development Reducing poverty and unemployment is critical to building lasting peace. The CHT has untapped economic potential in agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, and small-scale industries. Establishing agro-industrial hubs in each district would focus on processing local crops such as ginger, turmeric, oranges, and hill rice, providing storage,