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Business and persons with disabilities

Two more companies sign the Global Business and Disability Charter

Annual meeting of the ILO Global Business & Disability Network welcomes new Charter signatories and discusses future of work issues.

Press release | 12 October 2016
© Nguyen A. / ILO
GENEVA (ILO News) – Two major French companies, Engie and Société Générale, have joined the 15 companies that have already signed the Global Business and Disability Charter.

By signing the Charter the two new signatories also joined the ILO Global Business & Disability Network in a ceremony held at the ILO headquarters in Geneva. The ceremony coincided with the third annual meeting of the Network on “The Future of Work: Challenges and opportunities for persons with disabilities.”

The Charter expresses the companies’ commitment to promoting the employment and professional development of persons with disabilities and to taking disability issues into account throughout their operations worldwide.

“This discussion around challenges and opportunities for persons with disabilities is also a contribution to the Future of Work Initiative launched by the ILO in the framework of its forthcoming centenary,” said Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO Conditions of Work and Equality Department. “In addition to technological changes – if properly implemented – which can create decent work opportunities for people with disabilities, the benefits of an inclusive and diverse workforce, including people with disabilities, will gain more importance for businesses.”

Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE said: “We are proud to join the ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network. By this signing, ENGIE aims to keep moving forward against discrimination and to ramp up this fight. The Group pursues measures to encourage the hiring, career development and training of people with disabilities, along with campaigns to raise awareness of disability issues. This ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network represents for ENGIE an opportunity to share best practices at an international level.”

Edouard-Malo Henry, Société Générale Group Head of Human Resources, said: “This commitment reinforces the policy of Societé Générale Group in terms of non-discrimination and diversity. The Charter sets out clear general principles and guidelines allowing us to go further on human rights and non-discrimination. It engages the Group in its international dimension to make progress on what is already existing within the company, to widely implement the Charter with our operational teams and to share good practices with the signatory companies.”

The global meeting also discussed how the future of work will impact persons with disabilities.

Participants especially highlighted the need for people with disabilities to be included in skills development, which is in aligned to future demands of the labour market. As technological changes have often been instrumental in the past in enabling people with disabilities to access decent work, it is important to make sure that new technologies are accessible to them. Further, a new understanding of leadership is emerging, paying more attention to managing diverse networks of diverse employees and their specific needs, including people with disabilities.

Network members also considered how companies can best tackle issues that create obstacles to the inclusion of people with disabilities.

“Sensitizing line managers and employees about false conceptions around the work potential of persons with disabilities has proven to be one of the most effective means to address barriers related to the stereotypes about them,” explained Mathilde Tabary, Chair of the Global Business & Disability Network.

While companies can learn from each other, participants also called for stronger links with academia and civil society organizations. Collaboration between companies and universities can also help recent graduates with disabilities enter the labour market.

Created in 2010, the Network acts as a facilitator and responds to requests from members to develop tools, share knowledge and facilitate business-to-business meetings and dialogues around disability issues.