Why Global Forum on Discrimination on Work and Descent matters
Over 270 million people around the world continue to face discrimination—not for what they’ve done, but for who they were born as. Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD)—including Dalits, Burakumin, Haratine, Osu, Roma, Quilombola, and others—have been historically treated as “impure.” Entire generations have been relegated to so-called “polluting” jobs: manual scavenging, leather work, […]
Towards an Informal Working Group on the the Rights of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
Statement by the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) HLPF 2024, United Nations, New York Speaking at the HLPF 2024 side event titled “Good Practices and Challenges in the 2030 Agenda – Showcasing ongoing inclusive strategies of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent,” Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives from Canada, Spain, Colombia, North Macedonia, Nepal, Sri Lanka […]
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR): A Catalyst for Roma Rights in Albania
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR): A Catalyst for Roma Rights in Albania By Siljana Hyseni, Roma Rights Expert, GFoD As a marginalized group, the Roma minority, estimated to be between 8,301 and 120,000 people, continues to experience systemic discrimination, social exclusion, and poverty. These challenges have significantly impacted their access to education, healthcare, employment, and housing. On Friday, August 30, […]
Leave No One Behind: Does India’s Union Budget 2024-25 reflect this sentiment?
The following statement has been issued by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights ‘Leave No One Behind’ is the Central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals which is a priority of India too. The question is, does our action at the national level reflect our commitment to this promise? And how do we […]
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 […]
