Several political statements have been made on the need for sharing best practices, enhancing efforts, and developing practical strategies and tools to eliminate caste-based discrimination by governments, the European Union, UN Special Procedures, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Many of the statements relate to the promotion of the draft UN Principles and Guidelines to eliminate discrimination based on work and descent.
Statement by Norway, 17th session of the Human Rights Council (item 9), 14 June 2011:
“The Special Rapporteur refers in his report to an estimated 250 million people around the world being at risk of human rights violations on the grounds of caste and other systems based on inherited status, identifying various forms of discrimination triggered by such systems of inherited status. Norway supports the position taken by the Special Rapporteur, and also shared by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, that discrimination on the grounds of descent constitutes a form of racial discrimination prohibited by the Convention. We welcome a stronger international engagement on this issue and encourage all governments to enhance efforts and to share best practices to eliminate such forms of discrimination.”
High-Level Statement by the Netherlands, 13th session of the Human Rights Council, March 2010:
“ln terms of issues, I think the Council’s agenda does not yet reflect all the substantive issues that need to be addressed. Discrimination on the basis of descent or work, for example, is still missing from the non-discrimination agenda. […] The Netherlands supports the efforts being made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to come up with a set of principles and guidelines on this issue. We would like to see the human Rights Council tackle this form of discrimination more fervently, for example by facilitating an exchange of best practices.”
Statement by Nepal’s State Minister for General Administration, Hon’ble Jeet Bahadur Gautam Darjee, at the side event on the Draft UN Principles and Guidelines on the Effective Elimination of Discrimination Based on Work and Descent, 12th session of the Human Rights Council, September 16 2009:
“Nepal is in the process of drafting a new constitution by the Constituent Assembly. As different Committees of the Assembly are busy in preparing concept papers, the draft principles and guidelines can serve as good reference in devising the ways and means to address the issue of caste-based discrimination. These principles and guidelines also may be useful tools to work out amendment and reforms of discriminatory laws and revitalize their implementation. […] Concerted efforts need to be exerted at social, cultural, economic and political fronts as well as at the local and national level to realize the goal of discrimination-free society. International community and UN could complement these efforts by sharing the best practices, enabling the national actors and helping through resources and capacity building. In this context the draft guidelines can serve as useful tool to borrow the idea from for national efforts.”
Mauritius’ recommendation to India in the Universal Periodic Review, Report of the UPR Working Group, A/HRC/8/26 (accepted by the Government of India), May 2008:
“Share best practices in the promotion and protection of human rights taking into account the multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nature of Indian society (Mauritius).”
EU statement delivered by Sweden in connection with the side event on discrimination based on work and descent, 12th session of the Human Rights Council, 16 September 2009:
“We recognize, and appreciate, that many steps have been taken to combat caste based discrimination, both in legislative, executive and judiciary levels, and we would encourage to continue a sharing best practices and experiences. We reiterate our support to the work of the Human Rights Council, and our interest in the draft UN principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination based on work and descent, that we hope can be a useful tool in the ongoing work to prevent discrimination in this regard. We will study the recommendations that were made here today by Professor Yokota.”
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mr. Muigai, in his report (A/HRC/17/40) at the 17th session of the Human Rights Council (item 9), June 2011:
“Notwithstanding the existence of international legal obligations to protect against discrimination based on work and descent, certain Governments have failed to implement such obligations effectively and have, in some instances, sidestepped the question of caste discrimination by claiming that it does not fall under the scope of the international conventions, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, in contrast to the opinion of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. However, the Special Rapporteur notes with satisfaction that some Governments have taken initiatives to address the problems facing communities affected by discrimination based on work and descent, and encourages them to continue their efforts, share best practices and take the lead in regional and international initiatives to eliminate this form of discrimination.”
Independent Expert on minority issues, Ms. Gay McDougall, in her report at the 13th session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/13/23), March 2010:
“The independent expert fully supports the outcome of the Durban Review Conference and urges States to fulfil their obligations and commitments in the area of anti-racism, nondiscrimination and equality. She has encouraged and supported new and emerging initiatives to combat long-standing and entrenched manifestations of discrimination in all regions; for example, the independent expert welcomes and urges further discussions on the draft United Nations principles and guidelines for the effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent as an important contribution to the global struggle to combat discrimination on the grounds of work and descent which often affects members of minority groups.”
Written contribution by the Special Rapporteurs prior to the Durban Review Conference (A/CONF.211/PC/WG.1/5 of 31 July 2008):
“The Special Rapporteur (on racism) is convinced that Governments and political leaders have a key role in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. As such, they should take the initiative by raising awareness and challenging long-entrenched perceptions and helping to shape public opinion to move towards fairer societies based on the equality of all human beings. These initiatives should be further complemented by meaningful legislative amendments to ensure equality and prohibit caste-based discrimination.”
Opinion piece by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, 19 October 2009:
“The Human Rights Council, the premier intergovernmental body for the protection and promotion of human rights, should promote the 2009 Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent. This study complements existing international standards of non-discrimination. All states must rally around and endorse these norms. The time has come to eradicate the shameful concept of caste. Other seemingly insurmountable walls, such as slavery and apartheid, have been dismantled in the past. We can and must tear down the barriers of caste too.”
Statement by Mr. Rory Mungoven, Chief, Asia-Pacific Section, OHCHR, Conference on Decade of Dalit Rights UN 2011-20, 24 June 2011:
“There is much to be gained from more concerted sharing of good experiences and best practices in law, policy and programmes among the countries concerned. We would like to support and strengthen specialized institutions dealing with caste issues, and the capacity of other national institutions to address these concerns in their work. Further, we would like to promote the mainstreaming and practical application of human rights based approaches to caste discrimination in the programming of other UN agencies. We believe that this engagement, from the “bottom up” will not only contribute to tangible change on the ground, but help create an environment in which further normative advances may be possible at the international level.”
Statement by Johan Olhagen, OHCHR-Nepal, side event on discrimination based on work and descent, 16th session of the Human Rights Council, 19 March 2011:
“In 2009, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay welcomed the Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent as an important study that complements existing international standards of nondiscrimination, and encouraged states to work towards the adoption of these norms. In the meantime, OHCHR is committed to working with all partners including the civil society, human rights mechanisms, donors and other UN agencies to promote the practical application of the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent. A good example of this is the focus on caste issues in the recently published UNDP Resource Guide on Marginalised Minorities, and we hope to develop further partnerships in this field.”
Address by Ms. Marcia V. J. Kran, Director, OHCHR Research and Right to Development Division Office, HRC Side event on discrimination based on work and descent, 16 September 2009:
“Combating all forms of discrimination will remain a priority concern of the work of the Office as outlined in OHCHR’s Strategic Management Plan. OHCHR at its headquarters and through its field presences will continue to gather information and support the development of practical strategies to address the phenomenon of discrimination based on descent.”
