IDSN highlights milestone and the need to address caste discrimination at ICERD 60th Anniversary

On 4 December 2025, the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) joined global human rights leaders at United Nations HQ in Geneva for the High-Level Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). IDSN Executive Director Meena Varma spoke on Panel 2: “Realizing the Promise of Equality Without Distinction as […]

|Categories: Access to justice, Caste-based slavery, Caste-hate speech, Dalit Children, Dalit Women, Human Rights Defenders, Political Participation, South Asia, United Nations, Violence and atrocities|Tags: |

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IDSN delegation highlights urgent concerns ahead of Nepal’s 2026 UN rights review

From 24–28 November, IDSN facilitated a delegation of Dalit human rights defenders from Nepal to come to Geneva for advocacy meetings ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) pre-session of Nepal, as well as participation in the pre-session meeting. The visit enabled key Dalit human rights defenders to brief recommending States on ongoing caste and intersectional discrimination and […]

|Categories: Access to justice, Caste-based slavery, Caste-hate speech, Dalit Children, Dalit Women, development, Education, Human Rights Defenders, Nepal, Political Participation, United Nations, Violence and atrocities, Water and Sanitation|Tags: |

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UN Minority Forum: Dalit activists call for action on caste-based violence, intersectional discrimination, shrinking civic space and labour rights

At the Eighteenth session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues in 2025, IDSN delegates highlighted the urgent need to address caste discrimination, violence and exclusion across South Asia. Dalit delegates from South Asia raised concerns around institutional impunity, structural marginalisation of Dalit women and the shrinking civic space for human rights defenders. They also emphasised the […]

|Categories: Access to justice, Bangladesh, Business, Caste-based slavery, Caste-hate speech, Dalit Children, Dalit Women, development, Education, Human Rights Defenders, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Political Participation, South Asia, United Nations, Violence and atrocities|Tags: |

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IDSN joins UN, the city of Geneva and civil society to honour artists at the International Art Contest for Minority Artists

On 25 November, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Freemuse, the City of Geneva and Minority Rights Group (MRG) announced the 2025 winners of the fourth edition of the International Art Contest for Minority Artists. The contest was supported by the Centre des arts of Ecolint and the Loterie Romande. This year’s theme focused […]

|Categories: United Nations|Tags: |

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IDSN at the Business and Human Rights Forum: Advancing caste-responsive due diligence

At the 14th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, the IDSN #DalitVoicesUN delegation engagement underscored the urgent need to recognise caste discrimination in global supply chains and human-rights due diligence. Through active engagement in multiple sessions, the focus was on the importance of rights-based, people-centred frameworks aligned with international standards. Participation in the UN Forum […]

|Categories: Business, United Nations|Tags: |

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UN Advocacy Update: June–November 2025

Over the past months, IDSN has been actively engaging across the UN Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and with several Special Rapporteurs to ensure that addressing caste discrimination remain firmly on the international human rights agenda. Below is an overview of key interventions, submissions and advocacy efforts undertaken between June and November 2025. Human Rights […]

|Categories: Access to justice, Bangladesh, Business, Caste-based slavery, Climate, Dalit Children, Dalit Women, Education, India, Living conditions, Manual Scavenging, Nepal, Pakistan, Political Participation, Poverty, South Asia, United Nations, Violence and atrocities, Water and Sanitation|Tags: |

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Women Leading Change in Global Supply Chains: Key insights from webinar co-organised by IDSN

On 30 October 2025, IDSN, Ethical Trade Denmark, Ethical Trade Norway and the Ethical Trading Initiative UK organised a members-only webinar on ’Women Leading Change in Global Supply Chains – Ways Forward for HRDD in 2025’. The discussion brought together practitioners, rights advocates, worker leaders and brand representatives to explore how intersecting discrimination—including caste and gender—continues to shape […]

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Strengthening UN response to addressing caste discrimination: IDSN contributes to global community of practice

In October, IDSN contributed to a global Community of Practice session hosted by the UN Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, bringing together UN staff from around the world working in contexts where caste and analogous forms of descent-based discrimination remain urgent but often overlooked. The session, dedicated to strengthening UN-wide understanding and responses […]

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IDSN delegation visits Brussels to advocate for EU action on caste discrimination

IDSN coordinated a weeklong advocacy visit to Brussels in June, bringing together six representatives from marginalized caste groups across South Asia. Delegates included: Dharsika Sivapragasam (Human Development Organization – Sri Lanka), Swapon Das (DALIT Khulna – Bangladesh), Sushil BK (Dalit NGO Federation and DHR Nepal), Mary James Gill (Centre for Law and Justice – Pakistan), as well as representatives from the National Dalit Christian Watch (India) and […]

|Categories: Bangladesh, European Union, Human Rights Defenders, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, Sri Lanka|Tags: |

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UN report on intersectionality calls for action on caste and gender justice

A groundbreaking new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism, Ashwini KP, has issued a powerful call to action, identifying caste and gender among the core drivers of intersectional oppression, particularly in South Asia. The report, presented to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur in an Interactive Dialogue on 3 July, emphasizes that […]

|Categories: Dalit Women, United Nations|Tags: |

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