Addressing Work and Descent-Based Discrimination Against Women: A prerequisite to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration
October 21 @ 8:00 am - October 22 @ 5:00 pm UTC+5.5
Reviewing 30 Years of Beijing Commitments to Accelerate Gender Equality in the ECE Region
Background and Rationale
Discrimination Based on Work and Descent (DWD) affects more than 270 million people worldwide, with about 15 million Roma and other diaspora communities in Europe, such as Dalits and Haratins. CDWD are regarded as the most vulnerable groups in terms of social, economic, and political development. They experience intersectional discrimination and oppression because of overlapping social constructs of ability, age, work, caste, class, ethnicity, social status, and gender. Women belonging to the DWD communities in Europe, such as the CDWD diaspora and the Roma are left behind in advancing the gender equality agenda. State Parties and other stakeholders have taken some measures to address the issue. Despite this, CDWD women still face discrimination through social exclusion, poor access to education, public services and infrastructure. This results in CDWD women not only left out of the gender equality agenda but also in being able to advance their status.
To accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the UNECE region, it is essential that policy initiatives prioritise women for whom developmental gains have been inaccessible. This event aims to spotlight the issue of diversity and inclusion of the rights of CDWD women, including the discrimination and poverty faced by them themselves and their lack of access to decent jobs, focusing on Haratine women (Association des Haratine de Mauritanie en Europe), Roma women (ERGO Network), and Dalit women (GFoD, Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent) across the UNECE. This event ensures that their lived experiences, particularly in terms of economic empowerment and discrimination, are highlighted at the European and international level, creating pathways for more inclusive and responsive global frameworks.
| Session objectives and expected outcomes |
Some of the expected outcomes include the development of a toolkit and set of guidelines for UN Women regional and country offices to incorporate the needs of CDWD women in their work, the proposal for a Special Rapporteur on work and descent-based discrimination, and enhanced collaboration among international organizations and stakeholders to implement strategies that promote equality and non-discrimination.
Possible Outcomes
- Acceleration of efforts to include CDWD women in the global gender equality agenda. The event will highlight the gaps in current policies and advocate for more inclusive approaches that prioritize the women from CDWD.
- Creation of a specialized toolkit and guidelines for UN Women regional and country offices. These resources will be designed to integrate the specific needs and challenges of women from CDWD into their policies and programs.
- Introduction of a formal proposal to appoint a Special Rapporteur on work and descent-based discrimination.
- Strengthened partnerships and collaboration among international organizations, governments, and civil society stakeholders.
- Greater awareness and visibility of the unique challenges faced by CDWD women, particularly Haratine, Roma, and Dalit women, in the UNECE region.
- Formulation of concrete policy recommendations for national governments, regional and international organizations, and other stakeholders.
| Organizers |
Lead organizers: Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
Contributors: ERGO Network, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland, Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth of North Macedonia,
Focal points: Torotcoi Simona, Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
Email: simona@globalforumcdwd.org
| Agenda and Structure (Speakers TBC) |
Welcome and Introductions (5 minutes) Gabriela Hrabanova, ERGO Network
Keynote Remarks – Importance of addressing systemic discrimination through governmental policies (20 minutes)
– Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, North Macedonia
– Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
CDWD Women Experiences on the Ground (25 minutes)
– Sonia Haidara/Noura Sidatti, Association des Haratine de Mauritanie en Europe
– Alba Hernandez, Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts
– Swati Kamble, India and Me
Open Q&A
Panel Discussion: Addressing Discrimination and Economic Empowerment (25 minutes)
– Fikrija Tair-Selmani, Rights Expert GFoD – Moderator
– Manuela Ott, Dalit Solidarity in Germany – Dalit women’s struggles in South Asia and UNECE context
– Chidi King, ILO – Role of decent work policies in empowering marginalized women
– Juliana Santos Wahlgren, European Anti-Poverty Network – EAPN – Roma women’s barriers to employment and economic inclusion
– Claude Cahn, OHCHR – Human rights protections for CDWD women: global frameworks
Discussion (10 minutes) Attendees engage with panelists
Summary of key takeaways and next steps for continued advocacy and collaboration (5 minutes)
| List of Panelists |
Please list the names and organizations of the panelists participating in the side event. The moderator should also be included in the list.
The key innovative element of this event is that it provides a platform, a space for women discriminated against on work and descent that they have been so far deprived of. Bringing their voices in the UN Women and UNECE space not only allows for their unique challenges to be acknowledged, but also actively involves them in shaping policies that affect their lives. The event introduces groundbreaking case studies on Roma and Haratine, and Dalit diaspora women’s access to employment, emphasizing real-world successes and challenges. This event ensures that their lived experiences, particularly in terms of economic empowerment and discrimination, are highlighted at the European and international level, creating pathways for more inclusive and responsive global frameworks. Government representatives from Finland, North Macedonia, among others, and representatives from the ILO, EAPN, OHCHR, and ENAR will also emphasise the importance of addressing multiple layers of discrimination for effective policy formulation and societal change but also share practices and innovative steps on eradicating poverty, promoting economic empowerment and reducing discrimination.
List of names and organizations:
- Gabriela Hrabanova, ERGO Network (Moderator)
- Mabera Kamberi, Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, North Macedonia
- Janette Grönfors, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
- Fikrija Tair-Selmani, Rights Expert GFoD
- Manuela Ott, Dalit Solidarity in Germany
- Chidi King, ILO
- Juliana Santos Wahlgren, European Anti-Poverty Network – EAPN
- Claude Cahn, OHCHR
- Sonia Haidara, Association des Haratine de Mauritanie en Europe
- Alba Hernandez, Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts
- Swati Kamble, India
- Simona Torotcoi, Romania
| Sign-up / Registration Link |