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Final Declaration of the
Global Conference Against Racism and Caste-
based Discrimination:
Occupation and Descent-based Discrimination
Against Dalits
1-4 March, 2001
New Delhi, India
A conference in preparation for the UN World Conference
Against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
The Global Conference Against Racism and Caste-based
Discrimination was convened in New Delhi, 1-4 March 2001, and
included representatives and victims from India, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, Japan, Sri Lanka, the
Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, the United Kingdom,
and the United States.
The participants of the Global Conference strongly condemn
caste (occupation and descent based) discrimination and the
practice of untouchability, which is the source of immense human
suffering and the cause of gross human rights violations and of
dehumanising and degrading treatment of 240 million people.
We, the participants of the Global Conference, have listened
to disturbing testimonies from victims of caste-based
discrimination who have suffered extreme violence, abhorrent
conditions of work, degradation, exclusion and humiliation. We
have also heard from experts, activists, academics, and
grassroots leaders about their work to end caste-based
discrimination. We appeal to governments and the international
community to end this crime against humanity, and we strongly
endorse the following declaration.
PREAMBLE
1. Taking note of the concluding observation of the United
Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) "that the situation of scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes falls within the scope of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination," and that the term "descent"
contained in Article 1 of the Convention does not refer solely to
race, and encompasses the situation of scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes, as cited on September 17, 1996, in the document
CERD/C/304/Add.13,
2. Affirming that caste as a basis for the segregation and
oppression of peoples in terms of their descent and occupation is
a form of apartheid and a distinct form of racism affecting
victims equally irrespective of religion.
3. Asserting that Untouchability is a Crime against
Humanity,[1]
4. Recognizing that caste-based practices - distinction,
exclusion and restrictions on social and occupational mobility -
which lead to a negation of humanity and the inability to
exercise all human rights are affecting at least 240 million
persons in South Asia and millions of others in East Asia and
West Africa,
5. Recognizing that the 52 United Nations Sub-Commission on
Human Rights, given their concerns over caste-based
discrimination, passed a unanimous resolution calling for a
working paper on occupation- and descent-based discrimination,
6. Recalling conclusions drawn by the Committee on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),
the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance and the Human Rights Committee
that Dalit men, women and children endure severe forms of
discrimination, violence and exploitation because of their caste
status,
7. Committed to the inclusion of caste-based discrimination on
the agenda, the declaration and the programme of action of the
World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia, and Related Forms of Intolerance (WCAR), to be held
at Durban, South Africa, from August 31-September 8, 2001,
8. Calling attention to the proceedings of the Bellagio
Consultation, the European NGO preparatory meeting, and the Asian
and African expert meetings in preparation for the WCAR which
specifically address the problem of caste discrimination,
9. Encouraged by the solidarity expressed by non-governmental
organizations in the WCAR preparatory and expert meetings and
taking note of the consensus reached in the Asia-Pacific NGO
Declaration in Tehran for inclusion of caste-based discrimination
in the agenda of the WCAR and the Declaration and Programme of
Action,
10. Taking note of governments' obligations to uphold
universal standards of human rights under the UN treaties and
covenants,
11. Commending those governments that are supporting the
inclusion of discrimination based on caste on the agenda of the
WCAR,
12. Noting that many countries have recognized that certain
communities, such as Dalit peoples in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, and Bangladesh, Buraku people in Japan, and other
communities in Senegal, South Mauritania and other countries,
face caste-based discrimination,
13. Recognizing that governments have undertaken
constitutional, legislative, and policy initiatives, as well as
set up administrative bodies to combat discrimination based on
caste and race, but also that, due to lack of political will,
these efforts have been insufficient and are being diluted,
subverted, and not properly implemented,
14. Noting that women - especially Dalit women - represent the
most oppressed sections of all societies, and that they face
multiple forms of discrimination, including caste-based,
religious and patriarchal ideology and practices;
15. Taking note of the support of some public leaders, the
media, non-governmental organizations, and concerned citizens
from various walks of life who have condemned the existence and
perpetuation of caste-based discrimination,
16. Strongly condemning the attempts of the government of
India to oppose the inclusion of caste-based discrimination in
the agenda of the WCAR, and urging other governments to support
the inclusion of caste-based discrimination in the WCAR agenda,
[2]
17. Denouncing governments - particularly India- that refuse
to comply with or recognize their legal obligations as defined by
the CERD,[3]
The participants of the Global Conference adopt the following:
PROGRAMME OF ACTION
The participants of the Global Conference Against Racism and
Caste-based Discrimination call upon Governments to:
I. Measures at the national level
1. Enforce and implement an effective and time-bound program
to abolish untouchability and similar practices in all spheres.
2. Enact and enforce laws related to compulsory primary
education and the elimination of child labour, bonded labour,
manual scavenging, caste-bound free labour, the decades system or
temple prostitution, and other similar practices.
3. Ensure that all necessary constitutional, legislative, and
administrative measures, including appropriate forms of
affirmative action, are in place to prohibit and redress
discrimination on the basis of caste, and that such measures -
including those in Japan and India - are continued until
discrimination is eliminated.
4. Monitor and publicize the extent to which existing laws
have been implemented.
5. Monitor and analyse educational syllabi and textbooks that
perpetrate caste-based oppressions and exclusion, and glorify
worldviews that have contributed to the continued existence of a
system of "hidden apartheid." Implement alternatives
that emphasize human rights education at the school and
university levels.
6. Allocate adequate funds for and effectively implement
programs for the socio-economic empowerment of communities
discriminated against on the basis of caste or descent.
7. Ensure full proportional representation based on percentage
of national population size of Dalits, Buraku, and other groups
excluded on the basis of caste in all sections of society
including police, judiciary, public service, media, and private
industry.
8. Urge statutory and constitutional bodies such as national
human rights commissions, on women, race, minorities, and other
relevant groups, as well as the Asia-Pacific Coordinating
Committee of National Institutions, the African Coordinating
Committee of National Institutions, and the International
Coordinating of National Institutions, to take up the issue of
caste-based discrimination and to support its inclusion in the
WCAR.
9. Urge national and state governments to take all measures to
combat caste-based discrimination against women.
10. Urge governments not to deny passports to people wishing
to attend the WCAR in Durban, particularly Dalit activists.
II. Measures at the United Nations level
11. Demand that the WCAR agenda specifically address
caste-based discrimination and that the WCAR Platform for Action
identifies concrete measures for ending this form of
discrimination;
12. Demand that the caste system be included in the WCAR
documents as a major source of discrimination.
13. Call upon the WCAR to underline the necessity for States
to adopt immediate concrete measures to eradicate the widespread
discrimination and persecution targeting Dalits, Burakumin, and
other communities facing discrimination on the basis of caste or
descent.
14. Call upon CERD and the Special Rapporteur on Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Forms of
Intolerance to reaffirm their position that caste-based
discrimination comes under the purview of the CERD and to state
that caste should be addressed in the WCAR.
15. Call for a declaration by the United Nations that
untouchability constitutes a crime against humanity.
16. Call for intensified efforts at educating the public about
the extent of caste discrimination and about the contributions of
Dalit culture and history.
17. Urge the appointment of a United Nations Special
Rapporteur on caste discrimination.
18. Declare April 14 (Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's birthday) as the
International Day of Dalit Solidarity.
19. Recommend that United Nations development agencies pay
particular attention to caste violence and caste discrimination,
assess the impact of their existing programs with regard to
caste, and develop programs and strategies designed to curb abuse
and encourage accountability.
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[1] Untouchability is the subjugation and denial of the basic
human rights of people labelled as "impure," a practice
sanctified by religious tradition.
[2] The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka does not
subscribe to this section of the declaration.
[3] The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka does not
subscribe to this section of the declaration.
Posted on 2001-07-13
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