We work worldwide to support companies on their journey to become inclusive of persons with disabilities by providing technical guidance and facilitating peer-to-peer exchange among businesses, because people with disabilities are among the most marginalised groups in society and the labour market. The ILO Global Business Disability Network is the world’s only such coming-together of leading multinational companies working with the ILO – the United Nations agency for the world of work – to the benefit of business, persons with disabilities and economies and communities worldwide.
The ten principles of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network Charter provide a framework to help enterprises achieve business success while simultaneously creating equal opportunities for people with disabilities. The Charter Self-Assessment Tool can help you identify areas for improving your company’s disability inclusion policies and practices. Our Charter is the only one of its kind and affords global recognition to its signatories.
Respect and promotion of rights
Promote and respect the rights of persons with disabilities by raising awareness and combatting stigma and stereotypes faced by persons with disabilities.
Non-discrimination
Develop policies and practices that protect persons with disabilities from all types of discrimination.
Equality of treatment and opportunities
Promote equal treatment and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodation in the recruitment process, on-the-job, apprenticeships, training, job retention, career development and other relevant terms and conditions of employment.
Accessibility
Progressively make the company premises and communication to staff accessible for all employees with disabilities.
Job retention
Undertake appropriate measures to enable current employees who acquire a disability to retain or return to their employment.
Confidentiality
Respect confidentiality of personal information regarding disability.
Attention to all types of disabilities
Consider the needs of those persons with disabilities who face particular challenges accessing the labour market, including persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
Collaboration
Promote employment of persons with disabilities among business partners and other companies and collaborate with national employer and business networks on disability as well as with organizations working to advance the rights of persons with disabilities.
Evaluation
Review regularly the company disability inclusion policies and practices for their effectiveness.
Knowledge sharing
Report on company efforts to promote the employment of persons with disabilities to all relevant stakeholders and share information and experiences with the members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network. The ILO will utilize the company reports and practices in its own communication, wherever relevant.
The ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) will host its 11th global annual conference “From Margin to Mainstream: Disability in Business” on 27th and 28th November 2024 at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland – using a hybrid modal..
The session “Business leadership on disability rights as human rights”, at the 3rd African Business and Human Rights Forum, on 8 October, 2-3pm East Africa Time (EAT) highlights the human rights generally, and the labour rights specifically, of perso..
Aligned with the Ten Principles of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) Charter, and the universal principles that shape the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the ILO GBDN Self-Assessment enables a..