UN Minority Forum: More political participation for Dalits
IDSN urges the UN Forum on Minority issues to consider ways to enhance political participation, especially for Dalit women.
Archive | Programme
GalleryPillay calls for UN convention on caste
In an interview with US weekly The Nation, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says that caste systems can be removed “through an expression of international outrage”.
GalleryUN High Commissioner: Tear down the barriers of caste
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, calls on the international community to ‘come together’ and support caste affected-communities ‘as it did when it helped put an end to apartheid.’
Boom in media reports on UN and caste discrimination
The world’s largest English-language newspaper, The Times of India, called the UN’s stance on caste discrimination an “embarrassment” to India, and the BBC World Service aired a live debate programme on caste discrimination on 29 September.
GalleryDalit activists meet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Dalit representatives from South Asia and Japan met the leading human rights official, Madam Navi Pillay, in Geneva on 16 September. The High Commissioner assured that all forms of discrimination – including caste discrimination – will remain a priority concern for her office.
Broad backing for new UN guidelines to eliminate caste discrimination
The government of Nepal is setting an international example in addressing one of the world’s most serious human rights issues. It strongly supports the UN guidelines on caste discrimination as an effective mechanism to eliminate a human rights outrage that affects 260 million people globally.
GalleryGlobal call for action on UN caste guidelines
The UN Human Rights Council and caste-affected governments are urged to support the new comprehensive legal framework developed by the UN to eliminate caste discrimination. These principles and guidelines will be presented at an event in Geneva, supported by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
GalleryThe European Commission takes up the fight against caste discrimination
The European Commission conducted a 3 day regional workshop on Indigenous People, Minorities and Dalits in Dhaka, 15-17 June, 2009.
GalleryStay updated with the IDSN June newsletter
Read the IDSN June newsletter here with all the latest news on caste-based discrimination from the IDSN network.
Final report on discrimination based on work and descent finally published by the UN
After almost two years of delay, the final report on discrimination based on work and descent containing a set of draft principles and guidelines has finally been published as an official UN document. This is an important milestone in gaining international recognition for caste-based discrimination, one of the biggest, yet most overlooked human rights problems globally.