Pillay refers to caste on Human Rights Day
In her Human Rights Day statement, UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay mentioned “members of particular castes” as a group that faces discrimination.
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GalleryDalit delegation meets EU officials
Two Dalit representatives from India and one from Nepal joined their IDSN colleagues in Brussels last week to inform European Union officials about the nature and scale of caste discrimination in South Asia.
GalleryUN Special Rapporteur urges States to “rally around” caste guidelines
At the 64th session of the UN General Assembly the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mr. Githu Muigai, expressed his serious concern about caste discrimination and recommended States to “engage in substantive discussions on this topic”. He specifically called on States to take action on the draft UN principles and guidelines to eliminate caste discrimination.
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.
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.