The following is a list of joint statements, IDSN statements, open letters and position papers issued by IDSN and various partner organisations. Click on the headlines to read the full statements.
UNITED NATIONS
- Declaration “Tear down the barriers of caste”: 2011-2020 Decisive decade against Discrimination based on work and descent. Outcome document of the Conference on the Decade of Dalit Rights UN, held on 24-25 June 2011.
- South Asian organisations must be more active against caste based discrimination issued by Asian Human Rights Commission and IDSN (3 October 2009) following a large number of news articles reporting on affected governments’ stance on caste discrimination in the UN
- Joint position paper on the Durban Review Conference and caste-based discrimination supported by IDSN, Human Rights Watch, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (India), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, Lutheran World Federation, Pax Romana, Human Development Organisation (Sri Lanka), Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organisation, Feminist Dalit Organisation (Nepal) and Dignity International (April 2009)
- Read the oral statements delivered in the Human Rights Council on the occasion of the Durban Review Conference
- Speak Up! Stop Caste Discrimination – IDSN Human Rights Day Statement 2010
EUROPEAN UNION
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Open letter to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton: IDSN has urged Catherine Ashton to address caste discrimination in upcoming EU dialogues with India, ensure that the issue is given proper attention in EU cooperation with caste-affected countries and pursue an EU policy on the issue. Read the letter here
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Press Release: MEPs: The EU must act now to help end one of the biggest human rights issues in the world – IDSN Press Release in connection with the European Parlament Hearing on Caste Discrimination in February 2011
- Comment: Lots of sympathy, too little action – The EU could – and should – do more to address caste discrimination, one of the world’s most serious human rights problems, argue three leading European campaigners for Dalit rights.By Meena Varma, Gerard Oonk and Rikke Nöhrlind
INDIA
- Joint statement ”Violence in Orissa is a test to democratic values’issued by Asian Human Rights Commission, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (30 August 2008)
- Joint appeal “Ongoing violence against the Dalits in Orissa must be prevented immediately” issued by Asian Human Rights Commission, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (28 August 2008)
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NCDHR and IDSN write open letter to President Obama: The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and IDSN have appealed to Barack Obama to raise the issue of caste discrimination during his visit to India in early November. In an open letter to the US President, the two organisations state that he can make a much needed and decisive contribution to the Dalit struggle for rights and dignity, not only in India, but all over the world. September 2010
NEPAL
- RECASTING JUSTICE: SECURING DALIT RIGHTS IN NEPAL’S NEW CONSTITUTION. Joint statement issued by New York University School of Law Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), Dalit NGO Federation (DNF), and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) on 23 February 2009
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Letter issued to the Constitutional Committee and the High Level Taskforce in Nepal urging that they include measures to combat caste discrimination in the constitution: The letter is issued by international human rights law experts, Dalit rights advocates and activists – Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University School of Law (CHRGJ), Lawyers’ National Campaign for Elimination of Caste Discrimination (LANCAU), Dalit Studies and Development Centre (DSDC), Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). Read the letter here
PAKISTAN
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON CASTE-BASED DISCRIMINATION
International consultation on caste-based discrimination: Establishing Dalit Rights in the Contemporary World; the Role of Governments, the United Nations and the Private Sector, November 29 – December 1 2004, Kathmandu, Nepal.
