Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and community members and their networks in the target areas are effectively using the community knowledge portal and actively participating in subregional and national level indigenous movement, and policy dialogue, governance and accountability processes at different levels.
The social and economic inequality and disparity within the Thai society has deepened political polarization and conflict in the last 10 years. Efforts have been made to address the root causes of the problem by strengthening communities, reforming the bureaucracy, economy, education, media and justice sectors. The recent effort includes the establishment of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and National Reform Council (NRC). The reform process has faced several hiccups but it has also opened up new doors for indigenous communities to gain some visibility in the reform process. Parallel to these developments, the establishment of the Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT) in 2007 has triggered the emergence of new IPOs and networks, particularly in the unreached areas. Sharing a common platform, indigenous movements has set up the National Council of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and is advocating for recognition of their rights based on international human rights framework such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Further, the CDC has accepted the terminology ‘indigenous peoples’ in the draft Constitution in line with the UNDRIP. To push for a genuine reform and getting their rights recognized, consolidation of indigenous movements and information regarding their communities across the country (apart from effective participation), particularly of the MMVIC is indispensable. Consultations with several CBOs and community representatives of the MMVIC in the target areas show that lack of organized movements, capacities, credible documented/published information (government and others sources) on their communities are the main constraints for their active and effective engagement in advocacy and policy dialogues. The proposed action seeks to address these needs.