Carving out a Norm at the UN on the Rights of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent

GFoD and partners are pleased to invite you to a roundtable discussion on the international
movement of communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD). This important
alliance of groups from Africa, Europe, Latin America and South Asia, is forging new
pathways for justice at the international level to ensure the voices of CDWD are recognised
and heard. The roundtable will give an opportunity for a ‘long view’ of social mobilisation
pertaining to work and descent-based discrimination that spans several decades of global action.
The roundtable will begin with a presentation by Dr Corinne Lennox, Senior Lecturer in
Human Rights, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of
London, who will speak to the findings in her book, Transnational Social Mobilisation and
Minorities Rights: Identity, Advocacy and Norms (Routledge 2020). The book uses the
concept of ‘norm entrepreneurship’ to comparatively examine the extraordinary efforts by

Dalits, people of African descent, Roma and Indigenous peoples to work across borders and
at the international level to seek protection of their rights. The book draws from interviews

with leading activists, participant observation and the author’s own previous work with
activists from her roles in NGOs, to provide a detailed account of the strategies that have
made these groups highly successful in bringing international attention to their calls for
justice.
In this lecture, Dr Lennox will specifically trace the evolution of the global mobilisation of
Dalits and their alliances with other communities discriminated on the basis of work and
descent. The lecture will discuss the early days of their actions at the UN level, the important
impact of the 2001 World Conference against Racism, their effective use of framing and

political opportunities, and the construction of strong forms of international cooperation to
secure significant recognition at the international level.
This successful example of ‘norm entrepreneurship’ will be the backdrop for further
discussion on the next wave of transnational social mobilisation by communities
discriminated on work and descent (CDWD). Since 2019, CDWD have forged exciting new

alliances across communities and continents to develop new norms that can address the
unique set of human rights violations they experience in common.
Leading voices from the CDWD movement will share their reflections on key strategies that

have bolstered their mobilisation at the international level. The panel will also discuss the
future aims and challenges for the CDWD movement as they seek to solidify their
recognition and support on the international and regional levels.

Time: Jun 11, 2024 12:00 PM Universal Time UTC

Zoom Link: https://theinclusivityproject-org.zoom.us/j/87172689955