Støre and Solheim congratulate the winner of the 2007 Rafto Prize

The Rafto Prize was today awarded to the Indian organisation The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR). The board of the Rafto Foundation praised the NCDHR’s fight for the rights of Dalits (the casteless) and the organisation’s efforts to highlight discrimination and oppression based on caste.

“We congratulate The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights on being awarded the prestigious 2007 Rafto Prize. This has put the Dalit cause on the agenda,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of International Development Erik Solheim.

“The Prize is an important encouragement for all those who are working to improve the situation of Dalits, both in India and in other countries in the region. We hope that the Prize will help to secure justice for this large group of people, and we would like to commend the Indian authorities for increasing the quotas for underprivileged groups in the education system. The fact that India is a democracy is an important factor in giving Dalits an opportunity to fight for their rights. The organisation’s activities help to strengthen and deepen this democracy,” said Mr Støre and Mr Solheim.

“The majority of Dalits are among India’s poorest, and India faces major challenges as regards ensuring that its breakneck economic development benefits all groups. Norway is participating in a large-scale programme to reduce maternal and child mortality in five of India’s states. The ties between our two countries are growing all the time, at both political and economic level, with a strong focus on business sector cooperation and our common climate change challenges. The Rafto Prize can help to further strengthen relations between our two countries,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of International Development.