With regard to the post-2015 framework, it is well documented that caste discrimination is a major obstacle to achieving development goals. Social exclusion of Dalits leads to high levels of poverty among affected population groups and unequal distribution of resources. It furthermore precludes their involvement in decision making and governance, and their meaningful participation in public and civil life. We therefore recommend that caste-based discrimination is explicitly addressed in the post-2015 agenda as a root cause of poverty, inequalities and social exclusion of particularly marginalized groups.
The UN network has the potential for mainstreaming a holistic approach to addressing caste-based discrimination by the UN system as a whole. We therefore urge the network to explicitly recognise caste-based discrimination as a key human rights challenge in the UN General-Secretary’s Guidance Note to be developed on this issue. The UN can promote multi-stakeholder cooperation between its Country Teams, governments, national institutions, and civil society in this regard. The UN can also assist governments develop and implement laws, policies, and national action plans to eliminate caste-based discrimination through technical assistance and cooperation. The draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent, published by the HRC in 2009 (A/HRC/11/CRP.3), can act as a guiding framework for enacting national action plans and special measures.