A Step Forward at the UN to Address Hierarchical Oppression – Strengthening International Standards to Protect Descent Communities

Discrimination based on Work and Descent (DWD) affects over 270 million people globally, often manifesting as social exclusion based on inherited status, practices of untouchability, and notions of “purity and pollution”. When groups face extreme forms of discrimination in accessing employment, education, healthcare, and housing, their capacity to contribute to national development is severely curtailed.

While some States have constitutional and legal frameworks to protect minority rights, implementation and consistent enforcement remain weak, leading to systemic exclusion. This side event will prioritize identifying concrete measures and strategies necessary to eliminate these deep-seated discriminatory practices, recognize the intersecting challenges faced by CDWD members and ensure the promise of the 2030 Agenda to “leave no one behind” is realized.

The contribution of the Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWDs) to peaceful and cohesive societies is undeniable. Rather than mere victims of systemic and intergenerational forms of discrimination, these communities are agents of change. They are the protagonists of tolerant, inclusive and diverse societies worldwide, including economic development, culture, media, and the performing arts. These contributions are often overlooked, suppressed, or even appropriated by dominant groups who may pass them off as their own. Despite their positive impact, CDWD communities are frequently denied due recognition and are instead subjected to harmful stereotypes that portray them as backward, unskilled, and only suited for the most menial roles.

There is growing and steady recognition of CDWDs through several other UN mechanisms, such as the UPR, communications of special procedures and periodic reviews of treaty-bodies. This recognition, however, materialized in a fragmented manner, through several standards and mechanisms, which do not provide sufficient protection to over 260 million persons under this condition.

Objectives

The side event aims to:

1. Scrutinize existing state institutional arrangements, such as quotas, commissions, or advisory bodies, to determine why they often fail to ensure adequate and equitable representation and address the interests of smaller minority groups.
2. Adopt a robust intersectional approach in all programmes and policies, addressing the double marginalization faced by specific groups, such as CDWD women, girls, youth, and LGBTQ individuals, who face exclusion both from the majority society and sometimes their own communities.
3. Urge the UN mechanisms to adhere to key human rights standards and strengthen global standards on CDWD, ensuring the specific form of hierarchical oppression based on work and descent is recognized and consistently reflected in national laws and practices.