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KATHMANDU, June 18: Sahayatra International Alliance for Social Justice, a Canada-registered non-governmental organization, has submitted a formal memorandum to the Group of Seven (G7) nations, urging them to include the elimination of caste- and descent-based discrimination as an official agenda item at the ongoing G7 Summit.
In a letter addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who currently holds the G7 presidency, Dr. Drona Rasali—Chair of the Global Conference for a Caste-Free World 2025 and head of Sahayatra—called on G7 leaders to address the global impact of caste-based discrimination, which affects more than 250 million people worldwide. The 130-page memorandum includes historical context, data, and policy recommendations.
“While caste-based discrimination originated in South Asia, it has spread across continents due to migration and globalization,” said Dr. Rasali. “From Dalits in South Asia and the Roma in Europe to the Burakumin in Japan, numerous communities continue to suffer systemic exclusion, violence, and dehumanization. There can be no sustainable peace without ending such injustice.”
Even local representatives not spared of caste-based discrimina...
The memorandum was submitted in line with the Toronto Declaration, unanimously adopted at the Global Conference for a Caste-Free World held in Toronto from May 25–27. The declaration calls on global institutions and governments to confront and eradicate caste-based oppression.
It also links the call to one of the three key pillars outlined by Canada’s G7 presidency: “protecting our communities and the world.” The document argues that this goal cannot be met while over 240 million people remain vulnerable due to caste-based discrimination.
“Treating someone as ‘untouchable’ or of ‘lower caste’ based on birth is not only morally indefensible—it violates the core values of democracy, human dignity, and international peace,” said Santosh Bishwakarma, President of Sahayatra.
The memorandum includes a global roadmap for dismantling caste-based systems and urges G7 leaders—representing the world’s most powerful democracies—to take urgent and coordinated action.
The 2025 G7 Summit, currently underway in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, is being attended by leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. Representatives from the European Union, India, and other invited nations are also participating.
This is believed to be the first formal call urging the G7 to confront caste- and descent-based discrimination as a global human rights issue.
The full memorandum can be accessed here:
