World Dignity Forum with massive seminar on Exterminating of Discriminatory Castism For the Global Human Dignity.
 

WORLD DIGNITY FORUM

In World Social Forum 2004 in Mumbai, India, National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR), [now National Confederaation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR)] conceptualise the idea of World Dignity Forum and thus create a global platform within the World Social Forum to unitedly champion “Equal Dignity of All”. World Dignity Forum led by the NACDAOR, Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organization (NNDSWO), OBC Federation, Madeshi Dalit NGO Federation, CDWN, Jagaran Media Center (JMC) and other partner organisations from India, Germany, Bangladesh and Malaysia, Dalit Welfare Organisation (DWO) – Nepal also joined in creating World Dignity Forum.

Dignity as a world necessity is one of the outstanding themes of the 4th World Social Forum, taking place in India. The World Dignity Forum was one of the most crowded events, which also covered issues such as castes and racism. This Forum was organized by the Dalits, the so-called "untouchables", who in the hierarchical Indian caste system are the most oppressed group, representing more than 160 million people. Once again, Globalization was on trial, as neoliberal policies have reduced workers benefits and the welfare state. One of the issues analysed was that of migration, which has been forced on thousands of workers and that affects people's dignity. The critical relationship between caste, class and race oppression was also addressed.”

Since 2004, World Dignity Forum has been an integral part of the World Social Forum Process and continue to be organised and celebrated wherever World Social Forum is organised. 

WORLD DIGNITY FORUM IN WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2024

World Social Forum (WSF) is again here in Asia after two decades, where nearly 60% of the world's population lives. WSF 2024 will be organised from 15^th – 19^th February 2024 in Nepal. It is proposed to organise World Dignity Forum in Kathmandu in World Social Forum 2024 to unitedly voicing the issues, concerns, and aspirations of sub-merged majority of the socially excluded, poor and economically unequal, extremely vulnerable to caste, ethnic and religious violence, and victims of human rights violation and brining equal dignity of all in focus. Dignity means freedom to live in peace, health, and hope. 

The oppressed are increasingly articulating their distinct, different, and multiple identities and negotiating for their own space in the public sphere. Distortions of the term have been central in structuring patterns of domination and subordination all over the world. The World Dignity Forum challenges such distortion and articulate the underlying hierarchical relationship between gender and patriarchy to ensure women's dignity, in the face of patriarchal power that has appropriated control over women's labour body and sexuality, under the garb of a discourse of dignity and honour.

Children, the future of the world are the worst victims of routine violation of their dignity and rights at home, schools and in society. They suffer from societal recognition as a human being.

Fundamentalist majoritarian forces rupturing the civilisational fabric of mutual love, affection, and cooperation in society, and undermine legal democratic norms, and exercise violence against religious minorities, an assault on dignity need to be denounced.

A perspective from the subalterns and the marginal, and the recovery of a democratic state is crucial for ensuring minimum conditions for dignity. The World Dignity Forum will be interspersed with artistic and graphical presentations, case studies from men, women, & children, subjected to humiliating attacks, physical and mental, and who fought back to reclaim their dignity along with intellectual deliberation and motivations address by the renowned speakers from across the globe. Diversity, beyond being a theme of debate, will be ensured.

Dalit NGO Federation, Nepal, International Commission for Dalit Right, Washington, USA and National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR), India have co-proposed to organise the World Dignity Forum in Kathmandu in Nepal in World Social Forum along with several organisations from Nepal, India, South Africa, Canada and other parts of the World.

We hope you will also join World Dignity Forum
in solidarity.

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Declaration made in World dignity Forum ( Download declaration here) 
16th World Social Forum 2024, Kathmandu, Nepal

We, undersigned  organizations, declare the following: 

1. Dalit women specific rules of laws need to be prepared as Dalit women are facing multiple vulnerabilities due to their social, caste, gender and limited access over resources & economy.
2. Special action plan need to be developed for all socially excluded and vulnerable communities especially for Madeshi Dalits, Haliya, Muktkakamaya, etc.
3. Recommendation of ICERD, CEDAW, VNR and UPR need to be effectively implemented by its member states.
4. There is an urgent need to form Commission/Council for addressing the dignity, rights & entitlements of Other Backward Community (OBC) and socially excluded communities.
5. Incidents against caste-based discrimination, racial, untouchability, gender & sexual based violence and child violence should be easily registered by taking a policy of zero tolerance. The strong prosecution and compensatory measures should be in place to address these violation & exploitation cases.
6. The State should establish a special fund for elimination of caste based discrimination and untouchabilities. There is need to prepare strategies for elimination of caste based discrimination and untouchabilities. It should be follow with launching of joint campaign of all stakeholders including government, Dalits, non-Dalits, Private Sector and civil societies organization.
7. The caste and untouchabilities affected countries should initiate a process for preparation of long  term action plan with sufficient fund aiming towards ending caste based discrimination and untouchabilities.
8. Affirm the caste freedom index as a unique and universal social development matrix to measure the progress of inclusive development trends and status of discrimination, inequality, injustice and exclusion based on caste, ancestry or decent against Dalits and racial minorities or casteoppressed people across the globe.
9. The government should establish a semi government bank under the leadership of Dalit, OBC community& Marginalized communities towards ensuring economic empowerment as well as sustainable livelihood of these communities
10. Intersectionality within women should be undertaken in all spheres of development, climate justice, opportunities, and meaningful representations at the decision-making level.
11. There is an urgent need to allocate fund for addressing the adverse impact of climate change & disaster among Dalits & other socially excluded communities.
12. The government should support towards attainments of all Sustainable Development Goals.
13. There is a need to ensure implementation of SDGs Goals No 17. The fund should be equally allocated for development of socially excluded & vulnerable communities in the developing countries.
14. The UN should make a separate special declaration for addressing the issues of caste-based discrimination and untouchabilities.
15. The state should make a law for ensuring proportional representation of Dalit, OBC, Madesi and other socially excluded communities.
16. The UN, Bilateral, Multilateral and other donor agencies should make a provision for allocation of special fund for Dalit/OBC/Muslim/Indigenous/LGBTQI/Madeshi/Madeshi Dalit and Women led civil society organizations.
17. The state should ensure equal access & control over natural resource mainly land, water & forest.
18. The state should ensure inclusive development policy towards addressing the issues of dignity & justice.
19. A legal arrangement should be made to represent Dalit women based on the population within the quota reserved for women, single women, Dalits, and persons with disabilities.
20. There is need to ensure the Dalit and marginalized women's (including OBCwomen) representation in all spheres of state entities at regional and global levels.

FIRST SIGNATORIES LIST  
DNF - https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/802  by JB Bishwkarma President
Nacdaor - https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1702  by Ashok Bharati - Founder - Founder World Dignity Forum
ICRD  https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/804 by Gajadhar Sunar Coordinator/
OBC Federation  https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2063 by Gajendra Thakur President
Madeshi Dalit Federation  https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2385 by Narendra Paswan President

To add signature from your organisation on this declaration : write to contact person of this activity : see in this page above, before the  "organizers" section
( Download declaration here)