WORLD DIGNITY FORUM | KATHMANDU – NEPAL | FEBRUARY 2024

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, 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.”[1]

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.