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 […]
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 […]
