| Overview : More than two decades of protracted conflict in the CHT have left the majority of its inhabitants in conditions of extreme poverty, and tensions over land tenure, resource access, and ethno-demographics remain challenges to sustainable development. More than 50% population live below the national poverty line; 50% of primary-enrolled children drop out in their first few years; and it is estimated that 40% of the CHTs’ workforce is either unemployed or underemployed. A CHT Peace Accord was signed in December 1997 and was recognized as a significant political achievement for the region which is home to 11 distinctive indigenous peoples and Bengalis. It raised high expectations that it would serve as the cornerstone of a successful peace building process and as a means for opening up new opportunities for development. Relevant institutions have been established to support this process although not all subjects as per the CHT Peace Accord have yet been transferred to them, and several parts of the Peace Accord are yet to be implemented. In partnership with the Government, CHT communities and NGOs, UNDP supports the Promotion of Development and Confidence Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts through the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility (CHTDF). The CHTDF plays a very important role ensuring a successful peace building process and improving the development conditions of the CHT people. The support is focused on: - CHT governance institutions functioning and national systems developed in support of Peace Accord implementation;
- Confidence is built to solve long-standing problems critical to sustainable development and peace in CHT;
- Economic development opportunities enhanced for CHT;
- Literacy increased through an education scheme adapted to local context;
- Access to quality preventive and curative health services at the community level;
- Local organizations and communities empowered and their capacities enhanced to manage their own development;
UNDP-Bangladesh has a funding agreement with USAID to work on improving the CHT forests and watershed conditions. The CHT contains about 43 percent of forest coverage of Bangladesh and is rich in biodiversity. However, the CHT suffers from a high degree of forest degradation and deforestation due to high population growth, excessive timber extraction, expansion of agricultural areas and improper management of forest. Due to rapid loss of forest coverage and watersheds, people face water scarcity during the dry season adversely affecting agricultural growth and livelihoods – particularly in remote places where basic services are hardly available. The project has two main aspects: working in (i) RF areas and (ii) working in Mouza Forests or VCF in CHT. The CHTWCA plans to work through a partnership with the Forest Department to develop forest conservation models in the RF and the second part is to be managed through CHT institutions and communities with the objective of introducing and strengthening a co-management system for the VCF and improving livelihood of the forest dependent communities | 
