Executive Summary
In 2015, the key themes of IDSN’s work have been atrocities and access to criminal justice, the rights struggle of Dalit women, forced and bonded labour, and caste discrimination in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Global media outlets reported on caste discrimination responding to themes and input from IDSN including LA Times, Huffington Post, the Guardian, Reuters and Mashable. Humanitarian portals such as Reliefweb reported on caste discrimination in relief taking up IDSN urgent appeals released after the earthquake in Nepal. The appeals were communicated to hundreds of stakeholders and key members of the media.
Visibility in the United Nations also increased. UN High level officials made a number of significant statements on caste discrimination as well as caste references in reports, noting caste discrimination on par with other prohibited grounds of discrimination.
However, the issue of caste continued to be under rug swept by states at important UN fora because powerful elements do not wish to address it at an international level. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 were thus adopted without a reference to 260 million people impoverished and excluded due to caste discrimination. Many IDSN members had worked hard to secure recognition of caste-based inequality in the SDGs.
Also in 2015, IDSN presented a number of joint submissions to the UN human rights bodies and closely monitored UN referencing to caste issues. UN Special Procedures discussed caste discrimination at a parallel meeting at the Annual Meeting of the mandate holders in June and seven thematic mandates made references to caste in their reports to the Human Rights Council in 2015.
Close cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Special Rapporteurs continued with regular information sharing and dialogues, and submission of thematic contributions by IDSN and its members.
Backed by the OHCHR, IDSN co-organised a side-event on ‘Caste- and gender-based forced and bonded labour’ at the 29th session of the Human Rights Council.
Keynote speakers included the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, and ILO Senior Specialist, Coen Compier. Central to the debate was the need for multidimensional approaches to address the lack of implementation of legislation and policies in caste-affected countries.
Marking an important milestone in work to find new and effective ways to combat caste-based discrimination, the OHCHR organised a two day technical consultation on a draft UN Guidance tool on discrimination based on work and descent in October. IDSN supported participation of Dalit representatives at the consultation, and at Human Rights Council sessions, the Forum on Minority Issues and other UN events.
In statements at the Forum and at the 50th Anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), Dalit leaders highlighted the dismal state of access to criminal justice for Dalits and - again called for action by their governments and the international community.
The Universal Periodic Review of Nepal, which took place in November, provided a unique occasion for Dalit organisations to review the situation of Dalits in the country and with the support of IDSN to present findings and recommendations to UN member states and the Government.
IDSN shared information on UN developments and outcomes related to caste discrimination widely with decision makers, UN and EU agencies and affected groups. IDSN also continued to make specific recommendations to various institutional stakeholders and Governments, and promoted the endorsement and use of the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent noting the need also for cross cutting UN monitoring on progress.
During the year, IDSN made submissions and shared briefing notes and information on caste discrimination with EU officials and members of the European Parliament. In June, an IDSN delegation was invited for formal exchanges with the EU Human Rights Working Group (COHOM) and the European External Action Service, resulting in constructive dialogues on core issues and recommendations, including on caste-based discrimination as a serious impediment to ensuring equality in disaster relief and rehabilitation.
The European Parliament adopted several resolutions with clauses on caste discrimination and strong recommendations for speeding up EU action to fight this form of discrimination. Encouragingly, the EU have started mentioning “caste” alongside other grounds of discrimination, and Action Plans for the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) now integrate the rights of persons affected by caste-based discrimination as a cross-cutting concern.
In 2015, IDSN launched a new website, which offers great new features such as a searchable cross-referenced documentation database and integration of IDSN’s social media channels. The IDSN website is a unique global resource on caste discrimination with a steadily increasing user engagement. IDSN web statistics for 2015 show that 160 universities and research institutions worldwide use the website. IDSN also registered a 95% increase in Twitter followers compared to 2014; and an increase in subscribers to our monthly email newsletters and social media channels.
While the programmatic outcomes overall have been commendable in 2015, IDSN faced financial constraints due to the unexpected withdrawal of a major funding commitment for 2015 and 2016. IDSN was able to reduce budgets and operations, and with the generous support of an existing funder ensure that sufficient funding sustained the organisation through the year.
I wish to acknowledge and give big thanks to everyone who collaborated, supported and contributed to IDSN’s work in 2015.
Rikke Nöhrlind
Executive Director