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, […]
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 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 […]
“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 […]
