The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, has been asked by Member of the European Parliament, Jean Lambert, to outline any specific steps that the EU has taken to proactively support IDSN’s Consultative Status at the UN to date and what plans exist for future support.

The MEP’s question also states that,

“It is extremely troubling to learn that the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), an international NGO focusing on caste-based discrimination and other forms of discrimination based on work and descent, is now the longest pending application for UN Consultative Status accreditation. IDSN’s application has now been unjustly deferred by the UN NGO Committee for over 10 years. Only recently did the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights express concern over this specific deferral in his Annual Report to the UN Human Rights Council^.”

The full question has been posted online here.

The EU High Representative is expected to respond in September 2018.

For more information please see the IDSN factsheet on the 10 year struggle for UN consultative status.