Women and Young People Affected by Work and Descent based Discrimination Shape the Global Agenda for Gender Equality at CSW71
The Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) and The Inclusivity Project (TIP) are advancing a community-led advocacy agenda for the 71st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW71), to be held in New York from 8 to 19 March 2027.
Through regional and global youth consultations, engagement in UN Women's preparatory processes, and the submission of an official NGO statement, GFoD and TIP are working to ensure that the experiences and demands of women, girls and young people from communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD) are recognised in global gender-equality commitments.
The initiative responds to a persistent gap in international policymaking: women and girls affected by caste, descent, inherited occupational stigma and analogous systems of discrimination continue to face structural barriers to equality, yet their experiences and leadership remain insufficiently represented in decisions that affect their lives. Dalit, Roma and Sinti, Burakumin, Quilombola, Palenque, Haratine, Osu, Ngwazla and other affected communities have distinct histories and social contexts.
The official TIP statement to CSW71: Recognising work- and descent-based discrimination
The Inclusivity Project has submitted an official NGO statement for consideration by the 71st session of the Commission on the Status of Women, calling on Member States, UN entities, international financial institutions, businesses and civil society to place women and girls experiencing intersecting and inherited forms of work- and descent-based discrimination at the centre of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The statement calls for the explicit recognition of discrimination based on work and descent in the Agreed Conclusions of CSW71. It identifies this discrimination as a structural, intersectional and gendered barrier to gender equality, women's empowerment, poverty eradication and inclusive sustainable development. It also emphasises that no woman's or girl's opportunities should be limited by caste, descent, antigypsyism, ancestral or assigned occupation, social origin or other intersecting grounds of discrimination.
The statement recognises the experiences of women and girls from affected communities and it highlights the ways inherited status and gender inequality can reinforce occupational segregation, restrictions on mobility and marriage, gender-based violence, forced and bonded labour, educational exclusion, unequal inheritance and barriers to political participation.
The statement further calls for time-bound national action plans, clear institutional responsibilities, adequate resources and accessible progress reports. It stresses that universal public services must be complemented by targeted measures where historical exclusion prevents equal access.
Read the official TIP statement submitted to CSW71: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IMTn0tZ1d7vFNXTT4-U4MGOrvST0eKmY/view?usp=sharing
From community consultations to global advocacy
Alongside engagement in official UN Women regional youth and adolescent consultations, GFoD and its partners organised five regional and global consultation processes focused specifically on CDWD communities.
These consultations created dedicated spaces for young women, girls and other young people to articulate their experiences, identify common barriers and formulate recommendations for gender-equality policies and the post-2030 development agenda.
The process covered Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia and a global consultation bringing together perspectives from different regions and communities. More than 150 consultation registrations were received, reflecting the demand for meaningful opportunities for affected young people to contribute to international policy discussions.
GFoD and its partners also worked to bring CDWD perspectives directly into official regional processes. A young Roma woman and GFoD Rights Expert, Milena Rijelic, was invited to speak at the UN Women European regional youth consultation, while GFoD Rights Experts from Asia contributed perspectives from Dalit communities.
The consultations addressed education, decent work, economic empowerment, violence and discrimination, climate and environmental justice, participation and leadership. They highlighted a shared concern: young women and girls from CDWD communities must be involved in shaping policies from the beginning, rather than being consulted after priorities and decisions have already been established.
The resulting reports provide community-informed recommendations for CSW71 advocacy and the Global Youth and Adolescent Recommendations.
Read the Latin America and Caribbean regional consultation report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y1bylOVfTzU50ngpPlRXP4onnM5MiZAV/view
Read the European Roma youth consultation report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x_J_PWIojCUnrHsvUvs2SVmbfn-UCZ-n/view
Read the African regional youth consultation report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uHEkWVzNoIsXWlXXu4a-8f9H9WyfH3Hk/view
Read the Asian Dalit youth consultation report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V3wdN-zRBwGAKnE7EB8mO0TjvuJZ_e9k/view
Read the global CDWD Youth CSW71 consultation report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1szwTKaHslK0hqzNpeGFRiWP6JlhIOGWa/view
Our collective call to action: CDWD women's voices and claims from CSW71
The official TIP statement and the regional and global consultations point towards a common advocacy agenda. Although communities have distinct histories, identities and priorities, their demands converge around recognition, equality, safety, resources and the right to participate in decisions affecting their lives.
GFoD and TIP call on Member States, UN entities and other stakeholders to take the following action:
1. Recognise work- and descent-based discrimination explicitly.
Include discrimination based on work and descent in the CSW71 Agreed Conclusions and in national gender-equality, poverty-eradication and sustainable-development policies. Address the structural and intergenerational mechanisms that reproduce exclusion.
2. Guarantee meaningful participation and leadership.
Recognise CDWD women, girls and young people as rights-holders, experts and decision-makers. Ensure their participation from the earliest stages of policy development through budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
3. Prevent gender-based violence and harmful practices.
Address the ways violence, forced and early marriage, trafficking, forced and bonded labour and other harmful practices are used to enforce gender expectations and inherited social boundaries. Ensure survivor-centred services, accessible justice and protection from retaliation.
4. Secure land, housing, water, sanitation and healthcare.
Address discriminatory barriers to land ownership, inheritance, housing, water and sanitation, and essential healthcare. Ensure that public services are accessible, safe and free from discrimination, including in segregated and underserved communities.
5. Make inequalities visible through ethical data and accountability.
Collect voluntary, safely disaggregated data with the informed participation of affected communities. Establish measurable targets, clear institutional responsibilities, time-bound action plans and accessible progress reports that demonstrate whether women's and girls' rights and opportunities are improving.
From recognition to implementation
CSW71 is an opportunity to ensure that the realities of women and girls discriminated on work and descent are reflected in global commitments to gender equality, poverty eradication and sustainable development.
The official TIP statement provides a framework for recognising work- and descent-based discrimination and translating that recognition into concrete commitments. The regional and global consultation reports demonstrate why these commitments must be informed by the experiences, priorities and leadership of affected communities themselves.