“Hear Us Now: Harnessing Science for Decent Work and Economic Inclusion of CDWD Youth"
2025-04-16 13:15 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Youth at the Forefront: Leveraging Science and Social Inclusion for Sustainable Development”
SIDE EVENTS AT THE 2025 ECOSOC YOUTH FORUM
Background:
Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) face systemic exclusion, economic marginalization, and barriers to decent work (SDG 8). Science, technology, and innovation have the potential to break these cycles of discrimination by creating inclusive economic opportunities, fostering digital empowerment, and promoting equitable access to resources.
Despite the challenges, CDWD Youth are attempting this transformation, leveraging Science with social inclusion strategies advocating to build a more sustainable and just world. This side event highlights youth-led solutions that promote economic justice, decent work, and social equity for marginalized communities.
Objectives:
Showcase youth-driven innovations using science, technology, and social inclusion to address discrimination in employment and economic participation.
Discuss the role of Science and Technology in education, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion in breaking generational poverty and exclusion among CDWD.
Provide a platform for youth voices to share best practices and advocate for policies that integrate marginalized groups into sustainable development frameworks.
Foster networking and collaboration between youth, policymakers, development agencies, and civil society organizations while attempting to break barriers within and build bridges between the youth of a diverse background.
Proposed Schedule:
Event Format & Key Components (90 minutes)

Opening Remarks (12 min)

Moderator introduction and event objectives. (4mins)- Sri Yash Tadailmala, SPI Youth Platform, MGCY
Keynote speech by a CDWD youth leader or policy expert on leveraging science and social inclusion for decent work and economic justice (SDG 8). (8mins)- Naveen Gautam, GFP, MGCY and The Inclusivity Project

Panel Discussion: Youth-Led Innovations for Inclusive Development (40 min)
Youth experts discuss:
✔ Tech for Economic Justice. Impact of AI and Digital tools in generating Decent work opportunity for youth from CDWD and other marginalised communities.-8 min- Sachidanand

✔ Inclusive ST Education for CDWD youth: breaking barriers for CDWD youth to access quality education and employment.-8 min- Kunjani Pariyar
✔ Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation – Youth-led businesses tackling economic exclusion and promoting sustainable livelihoods.- TBC
✔ Policy & Advocacy – Bridging science and social inclusion to support fair labor practices and employment rights.-8 min- Natalia

Need to discuss about Goal 17

How can governments, international organizations, and civil society collaborate to create inclusive labor policies for CDWD youth?
What role can intergovernmental partnerships (UN, ILO, etc.) play in ensuring fair wages, social protection, and labor rights for marginalized communities?

Panelists from Asia(Deepesh), Africa(Zienabou), Europe(TBC) and Latin America(JEAN): CDWD Youth advocates, social entrepreneurs and research experts.(TBC)

Open floor – Q&A and Discussion – think of some discussion points – what are the challenges faced by Youth and how are they being addressed?. (20 mins)

What financial and structural challenges prevent young entrepreneurs from scaling their impact and contributing effectively to SDG 8, particularly in underprivileged communities?
Can you share examples of successful programs or policies that have helped marginalized youth gain access to quality Science and Technology education and employment?
How are youth-led businesses and social enterprises creating sustainable economic opportunities for marginalized communities?

Call to Action, Policy Recommendation & Networking (20 min)-Break out rooms

Discussion on stakeholder support for youth-led efforts toward decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).
Audience Q&A and commitments for inclusive sustainable development.
Collaboration opportunities and brief discussion on forming a CDWD youth forum.
What do we take to HLPF and World Social Summit as CDWD youth?

Guiding Questions for discussion/s

How can emerging technologies (AI digital platforms) be leveraged to create decent work opportunities (SDG 8) for marginalized communities, including CDWD?
Can you share examples of successful programs or policies that have helped marginalized youth gain access to quality Science and Technology education and employment?
How are youth-led businesses and social enterprises creating sustainable economic opportunities for marginalized communities?
What financial or structural support do young entrepreneurs need to scale their impact and contribute to SDG 8?
What policy recommendations would you give to governments and international organizations to ensure fair labor practices and equal economic opportunities for CDWD youth?

Venue: Online (Zoom)
Time: 90 minutes
INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE IN FRENCH AND PORTUGUESE
Registration link: https://theinclusivityproject-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/MQa37WQPT0Crxaf-jqb0iw

HEAR US NOW: Advancing Inclusion and Justice: Empowering Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) and other marginalised communities, Including Non-Binary Individuals, in SDG 16 and SDG 17
2025-04-17 13:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
HEAR US NOW: Advancing Inclusion and Justice: Empowering Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) and other marginalised communities, Including Non-Binary Individuals, in SDG 16 and SDG 17
Youth at the Forefront: Leveraging Science and Social Inclusion for Sustainable Development
SIDE EVENTS AT THE 2025 ECOSOC YOUTH FORUM
1. Background
Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD), including non-binary individuals, have historically faced systemic exclusion, social stigma, and structural inequalities that impact their access to justice (SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and their ability to participate in partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals). Discrimination in employment, education, governance, and public services has perpetuated cycles of poverty and denied these communities the fundamental human rights necessary for sustainable development.
Despite global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), these communities remain largely invisible in policymaking and program implementation. This side event aims to shed light on their challenges and propose concrete policy interventions to ensure that no one is left behind in the realization of SDG 16 and SDG 17.

2. Objectives of the Side Event

Raise Awareness: Highlight the systemic discrimination faced by CDWD, including non-binary individuals, and its impact on access to justice and global partnerships.
Strengthen Policy Advocacy: Advocate for the inclusion of CDWD in national and international SDG strategies, with a focus on justice and participatory governance.
Facilitate Multi-stakeholder Engagement: Engage youth leaders, policymakers, UN agencies, and civil society actors to co-create solutions for inclusive justice systems and meaningful partnerships.
Foster Youth Participation: Empower young people from CDWD backgrounds, including non-binary individuals, to share their experiences and shape policy recommendations.

3. Programme and Speakers/Panelists
Opening Remarks:

MGCY Representative
Africa Youth Expert- Alima Taal, Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent

Panel Discussion:

Moderator: Naveen Kumar Gautam(DWD Focal Point-MGCY)
Panelists:

Youth leader from a CDWD community from Europe-tbc
Human rights advocate working on social justice from Asia-Nikita Sonavane
Health expert specializing in marginalized communities from Africa- Halimatou Cassey
Representative from a multilateral organization – Baishali, International Labour Organisation
Representative from Migration Youth and Children Platform-Tony Mullenzi

Interactive Q&A and Open Discussion
Need for a forum working on Rights of CDWD Youth

Asia
Africa
Europe
Latin Ameica

Closing Remarks:

Summary of key takeaways
Call to action for policymakers and stakeholders
Need for a forum working on Rights of CDWD Youth

4. Guiding Questions for Discussion

What are the key barriers to healthcare access for CDWD, and how can they be addressed through policy interventions?
How can SDG 16 and SDG 17 be leveraged to ensure justice and protection for CDWD communities facing discrimination and exclusion?
What role can youth play in advocating for the rights and inclusion of CDWD in national and international SDG policies?
How can governments, civil society, and international organizations collaborate to create an inclusive framework for SDG implementation?
What best practices exist for integrating CDWD concerns into national development strategies, and how can they be scaled?

5. Venue – Virtual: Zoom
Registration Link: https://theinclusivityproject-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/JgcsoUh0QwiAEdLh9QlXpw

Roma Youth at the Forefront: Promoting Rights, Inclusion, and Equality through the SDGs
2025-06-28 16:30 - 19:00 (Europe/Skopje) | Online: Zoom
Join us for a Europe-wide virtual event on Roma youth and Sustainable Development Goals!
Roma Youth at the Forefront: Promoting Rights, Inclusion, and Equality through the SDGs
Co-organized by: GFoD, ERGO Network, ternYpe, and UNMGCY
Date: 28 June
Time: 13:00 CET/16:30 IST/11:00 GMT
Virtual Event – Register here: https://theinclusivityproject-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/wo9dXKvkQEmX0bxPyLw25g
Across Europe and beyond, Roma youth are rising against deeply rooted antigypsyism, and discrimination based on work and descent. This event will spotlight their efforts and leadership in achieving the SDGs—particularly around poverty, education, decent work, inequality, and justice.
The event will feature inspiring contributions from
Romina Grigore, Salzburg Seminar Fellow
Petr Banda, Member of the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe
Bianca Galusca from FAGiC
Sergen Gul, Romani Godi
Thansis Mitrou, ActRom
Representatives from TernYpe
UN Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY).
We are also proud to launch two groundbreaking reports authored by Fikrija Tair Selmani and Maria Atanasova, highlighting the rights and leadership of Roma women!
Highlights include:
Launch of dedicated reports on Roma women and girls in Europe
Insightful dialogues on work and descent-based discrimination
Best practices from Roma-led youth movements
Spotlight on key SDGs for Roma youth
Certificates of participation will be awarded!
We are looking forward to your engagement and participation!

Fourth Financing for Development Conference – Seville Virtual Event: Advancing Inclusive Development Through Accountable and People-Centered Social Protection
2025-06-30
Governments and international partners must prioritize social protection systems that are inclusive, accountable, and rooted in human rights. This panel explores how participatory frameworks, budget justice, and community-led action can help dismantle systemic discrimination—including discrimination based on work and descent (DWD)—and achieve equitable development.
🤝 Co-organized by: The Inclusivity Project (TIP), International Budget Partnership, Eurodad, Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work & Descent (GFoD) and partners.

Call for Expressions of Interest: GFoD Civil Society Preparations for the 2026 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
2025-10-30 - 2026-01-15
The Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) invites civil society organizations (CSOs), advocates, and experts to participate in our 2026 Voluntary National Review (VNR) preparation process. This initiative focuses on amplifying the voices of Communities Discriminated by Work and Descent (CDWD) and ensuring their inclusion in the global VNR process.

GFoD’s involvement in the VNRs
Across the globe, communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD) have been left out of national sustainable development strategies and action plans. Ensuring “No one is left behind” in the developmental planning and implementation of the SDGs is one of the key priorities of the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Decent.
For the last few years, the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Decent as part of the UN Major Groups and Other Stakeholders, has been engaging in the National Voluntary Reviews (VNRs), presenting the viewpoint of our communities across the world (i.e., Roma, Haratins, Buraku, Dalits, Quilombola, etc.). The Major Groups and Other Stakeholders provide the space for stakeholder engagement around the High Level Political Forum (HLPF). Stakeholders can also engage by: providing inputs to and reviewing drafts of VNRs of their respective countries; representing their constituents as part of government delegations; and participating in the presentation of the VNR to the HLPF.
This year we would like to support those civil society representatives and other stakeholders interested in getting involved into their national VNRs, by providing the in-house knowledge and resources (i.e., training) on how to best engage in such advocacy activities from the perspective of communities discriminated on work and descent!
More about the VNRs
As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member States to conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels. The Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Following 37 states have expressed interest to carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the 2026 HLPF:
Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Estonia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kiribati, Liberia, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Switzerland, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uruguay.
VNR webinars with a focus on Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
GFoD offers a comprehensive program to support CDWD-focused civil society engagement in the 2025 VNR process through a series of monthly webinars (online):
Webinar 1: What is the VNR? Relevance for CDWD

Learn about the VNR process, its objectives, and why it is critical for CDWD communities to be represented.

Webinar 2: How You Can Get Involved in Your Country’s VNR?

Explore strategies for engaging with your government, contributing to consultations, and mobilizing your networks for VNR participation.

Webinar 3: Integrating the Perspective of CDWD in the VNRs

Discover how to ensure CDWD perspectives are included in national and thematic VNR reports, interventions, and statements.

If you are a CSO, advocate, or expert interested in ensuring CDWD voices are heard in the 2025 VNR process, register for the Webinar Series to build your understanding and capacity.
To express your interest please fill out this form by January 15, 2026: https://forms.gle/EMcjjkcjQJsjmHMc7
Additionally, we encourage you to share this invitation and information with all relevant stakeholders who might be interested in contributing to this important initiative.
Your commitment to this endeavor will play a vital role in ensuring that the perspectives and concerns of civil society are well-represented during the HLPF 2026.
Interpretation will be provided, if requested.
Read more about the 2026 VNRs here: Voluntary National Reviews | High-Level Political Forum
We look forward to your active participation and collaboration in this significant effort.

Featured Event at the Civil Society Forum – World Summit for Social Development
2025-11-05 11:45 - 12:45 (Europe/Moscow) | Room #14, Exhibition Hall #7, Doha, Qatar
Intersectional Justice for Women and Girls: Structural Change and Leadership
📍 Doha, Qatar – 5 November 2025, 11:45 AM–12:45 PM(AST / UTC+3)
Register here
The Inclusivity Project (TIP), in partnership with the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), UN Women, ERGO Network, and other global partners, invites you to a powerful session spotlighting the leadership of women from communities facing descent-based discrimination.
This interactive event, part of the Civil Society Forum during the Second World Summit for Social Development, will explore how women from Dalit, Roma, Haratin, Quilombola and other communities are driving systemic change through creative storytelling, policy advocacy, and community-led action.
Through art, dialogue, and lived experience, the session aims to inspire structural transformation and advance intersectional justice, ensuring no one is left behind in the global pursuit of equality and dignity.
For any inquiry about the event do not hesitate to reach out to:Simona Torotcoi (GFoD) – simona@globalforumcdwd.orgKunjani Pariyar Pyasi – pkunjani123@gmail.com

Designing Inclusive Futures: People-First Solutions for Social Inclusion and Equal Opportunities for Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
2025-11-05 15:00 - 16:30 (Asia/Qatar) | Online: Zoom
#HEARUSNOW
Background:As the WSSD-2 convenes, this Solutions Session will spotlight community-led and multi-stakeholder initiatives addressing those most affected by social crises. Youth groups, stakeholders, IGOs, and Member States will present case studies/solutions focused on the contexts of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) with intersections to Indigenous Peoples, and Migrants/Refugees under the theme of social inclusion and decent work for all.
A regional analysis, compiled by UNECE as an input to WSSD-2, elaborates how poverty and exclusion disproportionately affect frontline groups. While extreme monetary poverty is rare in some regions, multidimensional poverty rates exceed 20%, hitting women, children, Roma communities, and migrants hardest. This highlights the deep structural inequalities that must frame WSSD-2 discussions. The 2024 report on the status of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) – which includes Dalits in South Asia, Haratin and Osu in Africa, Roma in Europe, and Quilombolas in Latin America – shows that over 270 million people face entrenched discrimination. Despite 80 years of UN efforts, concepts of untouchability persist, denying these communities access to decent work, education, justice, and secure livelihoods, with discrimination ingrained in social systems. This is worsened by environmental crises and economic precarity, hitting Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, and other marginalized groups hardest, especially children and young women. Yet CDWD and excluded youth are leading change and advancing justice, and building societies rooted in dignity and equity.

Against this backdrop, this session will:

Showcase case studies from CDWD organisations and allied partners, with a cross-cutting focus on youth, Indigenous peoples, and refugees

Highlight key solutions – in the form of policy suggestions and concrete actions proposed by the CDWD youth groups, UN agencies, and other stakeholders – and the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in delivering these

The session will culminate in a compendium of solutions/policy recommendations as a resource for Summit follow-up and implementation.
Systemic exclusion affects many communities — including CDWD, Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and those experiencing homelessness — driven by structural discrimination, displacement, climate crises, and economic precarity. These impacts fall hardest on children and youth, especially young women. For many, migration becomes the only option amid collapsing ecosystems, insecure land rights, and shrinking labor markets, yet pathways remain unsafe and exploitative. In the face of these challenges, CDWD and other excluded youth are leading change: challenging discrimination, demanding migration justice, advancing climate resilience, and shaping rights-based solutions for livelihoods, land, and water. Their leadership and solidarity are essential to building societies rooted in dignity, justice, and equity.
Objectives:

Identify and dismantle systemic barriers faced by communities discriminated on work and descent, Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, and other excluded groups by surfacing community-driven and youth-led solutions that advance decent work, social inclusion, and human rights.
Propose and showcase scalable community- and youth-led innovations – from local to global levels – that address discrimination, migration justice, gender inequality and economic exclusion, with clear pathways for policy adoption and institutionalisation.
Generate actionable, gender-responsive policy solutions rooted in grassroots experiences, to inform WSSD2 outcomes and align with SDGs on poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion.
Foster international solidarity and resource solutions that work by securing commitments to support community, women and youth-led solutions through funding, capacity strengthening and rights-based partnerships at all levels.

FORMAT:
Opening Remarks (5 mins)
Solutions Showcase – Youth and Community Leaders (20 mins)
Policy and Partnerships Dialogue (15 mins)
Interactive Co-creation Segment (15 mins)
Closing & Way Forward (5 mins)

A Step Forward at the UN to Address Hierarchical Oppression – Strengthening International Standards to Protect Descent Communities
2025-11-28 14:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Kolkata)
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:

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.
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.
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.

Dismantling Systemic Barriers to Equitable Participation in Local Governance and Public Life
2026-03-09 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Church Center for the United Nations (Drew Room)
The Asia Dalit Rights Forum, in collaboration with the The Inclusivity Project, Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO Nepal), and Dalit Women Forum/Nagorik Uddyog, will host an in-person parallel event during CSW70.
This event addresses the systemic barriers that prevent Dalit, Roma, Quilombola, and Palenque women — particularly those from communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD) — from fully participating in local governance and public decision-making processes. Despite global commitments to gender equality and justice, these women remain severely underrepresented in leadership roles and excluded from shaping policies that directly affect their lives.
Failure to confront these structural inequalities threatens progress toward SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The discussion will explore transformative legal reforms, inclusive justice systems, and strategies to dismantle discriminatory laws, policies, and practices. Speakers will highlight the urgent need to strengthen representation and meaningful participation of marginalized women at all levels of governance.
Bringing together young Dalit, Roma, and other marginalized women leaders, this dialogue will foster cross-regional solidarity and generate actionable strategies to advance women’s full and effective participation in public life and improve access to justice.

Women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent Claim Climate Justice
2026-03-11 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Climate change disproportionately impacts women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent, compounding entrenched structural inequalities. Caste- and descent-based discrimination, landlessness, inherited livelihood insecurity, and poverty intensify their exposure to climate shocks. The consequences include loss of livelihoods, displacement, increased unpaid care responsibilities, heightened risks of gender-based violence, and exclusion from relief, recovery, and climate finance.
Convened by The Inclusivity Project (TIP) in collaboration with GFoD, ADRF, CONAQ, and the ERGO Network, this parallel event will center lived experiences and grassroots resilience while examining critical gaps in climate policy and justice frameworks that overlook caste- and descent-based exclusion.
Grounded in a rights-based and intersectional approach, the session will promote inclusive climate governance and strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of historically marginalized women in shaping equitable and sustainable solutions.
The session will be held in English, with interpretation available.
Click here for the Zoom Link to the event.

Hidden and Normalized Inequality and Violence: The Realities of Women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent
2026-03-16 08:30 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Drew Room, UN Church Center
Across the world, women from communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD)—including Dalit, Quilombola, Haratine, and Roma women—continue to face extreme, multidimensional, and often invisible forms of gender-based violence. Despite decades of international commitments, the violence they face remains under-reported, under-researched, and absent from global policy dialogues.
The new UN Women Policy Paper on Women from Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent provides the first-ever UN system guidance to understand and address the structural, gendered, and systemic violence affecting these communities. This side event will showcase lived experiences, evidence, and grassroots strategies from CDWD women leaders and will highlight policy gaps in national, regional, and global responses to gender-based violence.

Algorithmic Bias, Gender Justice, and Descent-Based Discrimination: Ensuring AI Works for All Women and Girls
2026-03-18 11:30 - 12:45 (America/New_York) | Conference Room E, UN Headquarters, New York, United States
Gender discrimination remains deeply rooted in many societies and is often experienced through intersectional forms of inequality shaped by factors such as descent, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and digital access. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded across sectors, these intersecting inequalities risk being replicated and amplified through algorithmic systems.
Tools like risk prediction algorithms, forecasting-based law enforcement, automated welfare allocation, and online judicial processing are transforming decisions on entitlements, aid delivery, and legal remedies. Without global guidelines, openness, redress mechanisms, or
rights protections, these technologies frequently amplify entrenched gender disparities, embedding biases from past records, enforcement histories, and bureaucratic routines.
For women and girls from communities discriminated against on work and descent (CDWD)—including Dalit, Roma, Quilombola, Haratine, Burakumin, and other similarly affected groups—the risks are particularly severe. These communities already experience structural discrimination, over-policing, exclusion from services, biased judicial treatment, and chronic under-reporting of violence. When AI models are trained on biased data reflecting caste-, ethnicity-, or descent-based prejudices, the resulting systems risk:

Disproportionately flagging CDWD youth as “high-risk”
Intensifying surveillance of CDWD neighbourhoods
Automating exclusion from welfare or social-protection schemes
Misclassifying or deprioritizing CDWD women’s cases of violence
Reinforcing discriminatory employment and labour-market barriers

This session delves into AI’s influence on women’s and girls’ pathways to justice, emphasizing compounded vulnerabilities from overlapping discriminations. It will also provide a timely platform for discussion ahead of the Working Group’s forthcoming thematic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2026.
Objectives

Analyse how current uses of AI in governance, justice systems, and policing
reproduce gender, caste, ethnicity, and descent-based inequalities.
Highlight lived experiences of women and girls from CDWD communities regarding
AI-driven exclusion, surveillance, and barriers to justice.
Discuss safeguards and regulatory frameworks needed to ensure AI
strengthens—rather than undermines—women’s access to justice and protection
from violence.
Examine opportunities for AI to expand legal empowerment and support for survivors
when human-rights-based digital governance is applied.

To join this event please register here.
Partners
Permanent Mission of Albania to the UN New York
UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls (WGDAWG)
The Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD)
The Inclusivity Project (TIP)
European Union Delegation to the United Nations in New York
