GFoD submission to the OHCHR call for inputs on universal birth registration, use of digital technology
This submission has been coordinated by Simona Torotcoi, GFoD, Coordinator for Europe, with inputs from the following GFoD rights experts: Marina Csikós, and Fikrija Tair Selmani. Discrimination based on Work and Descent (DWD) affects more than 270 million people worldwide. Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) can be found on all continents: Dalit communities in South Asia and […]
GFoD convener Paul Divakar makes passionate appeal to save India’s CDWD among intense heatwave
Paul Divakar, the convener of the Global Forum on Discrimination, has issued a passionate appeal against the increasing dangers of climate change and how it is leaving India‘s CDWD with nowhere to go. In a story published by Al Jazeera titled: “‘I’m in hell’: How rising heat is amplifying India’s social divides”, Divakar said the exclusion from welfare on caste-basis […]
Fact Sheet on Roma minority in Albania
The Roma community is one of the largest Communities Discriminated based on Work and Descent (CDWD) in Europe. In Albania, the Roma population is estimated to be between 8,301 and 120,000. Roma minority was recognized as a national minority in October 2017 based on Law No. 97/2017 “On the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania. […]
Climate change impact CDWD extensively, says UN Special Rapporteur Dr Surya Deva
A report by Dr Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, highlighted the severe impacts of climate change on Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD), linking these challenges directly to the broader context of climate justice. The report, which referred to the work done by Global Forum on Discrimination extensively, underscored how these communities, marginalised due […]
CDWD’s Simona Torotcoi addresses HLPF on how science & tech can empower community
Distinguished delegates, my name is Simona Torotcoi, I am a Roma from Romania from ERGO Network, and I am part of the Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent, experiencing similar forms of discrimination with the Quilambola and Palenque in Brazil and Colombia, the Roma in Europe, the Dalits in South Asia, the Haratins and others in Africa. Such exclusions are found […]
2024 was a seminal year for discriminated communities across the world: Now, we need your help to sustain the momentum
In October 2024, something historic happened. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) passed a landmark resolution that explicitly recognised and condemned discrimination based on descent and work. For Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD), it wasn’t just a legal breakthrough—it was a long-overdue affirmation of their lived reality. A shift that […]
“Caste Exists Only in South Asia” is a Myth
The belief that caste exists only in South Asia is a myth—one that erases the lived realities of millions across the globe. While the word “caste” may be most commonly associated with India or Nepal, its logic—the division of people by birth, labor, and inherited stigma—is tragically global. These systems may go by different names, […]
The ECOSOC President just congratulated us on our work: Will you help us continue it?
At the 4th meeting of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, held on 15th June, Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) youth leader Naveen Gautam delivered a powerful and deeply moving intervention as the Lead Discussant during a session focused on accelerating SDG achievement in African countries, Least Developed […]
Erased Twice Over: UN Paper Highlights Urgent Reforms for Women Facing Descent-Based Discrimination
A landmark policy paper released in July 2025 by UN Women, in collaboration with the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), casts a spotlight on the urgent need for intersectional rights-based approaches to combat structural discrimination faced by women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD). These communities, estimated to […]
Born Unequal: The Silent Power of Descent in Shaping Our Lives
Imagine being told, without words, that your future was decided before you were born. No matter how hard you study, how much you dream, or how many borders you cross, society has already decided a place for you, and it’s somewhere below them. This is the lived reality for millions across the world who are […]
