Minority Rights Group co-organized with Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), Finland Mission to the UN (tbc), Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR, tbc), Centre for Law and Justice (Pakistan), Keele University (UK)

Targets 10.2 and 10.3 have garnered relatively little attention in relation to other Goal 10 targets. This event will address the discriminatory barriers in law, policy and practice that prevent women, indigenous peoples and ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities from enjoying their rights on an equal footing and contribute to their marginalization in development. It will look at the way these barriers have exacerbated the impacts of COVID-19 for particular groups, specifically with regard to health (Goal 3) and decent work (Goal 8). It will focus on two new reports and case studies across several regions (drawing from an MRG-CESR project funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

This event will be the occasion for presentation of:

Professor Tomoya Obokata, UN Special Rapporteur on modern slavery, Good practice in protecting people from modern slavery during the COVID-19 pandemic (to be published in collaboration with MRG and Keele University).

MRG’s annual Minority & Indigenous Trends report, this year focussing on the impact of COVID-19 on minorities and indigenous peoples.

The event will also highlight several case studies:

Egypt (VNR country): gender disparities in access to decent work (based on the findings of the Egypt Social Progress Indicators)

Andean Region (Peru and Colombia – VNR country): discriminatory impacts of economic (especially tax policies) on indigenous people and Afro-descendants; disparities in access to quality education for indigenous children.

Pakistan – the impact of COVID-19 on Christian/Dalit sanitation workers.

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