11 major companies to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workplace
The new Global Business and Disability Network Charter is a global tool for businesses to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the world of work
International Labour Organization News | 28 October 2015
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GENEVA (ILO News): Eleven major international companies have become the first signatories of the newly-created “ILO Global Business & Disability Network Charter ” in a ceremony held at ILO headquarters in Geneva.

The Charter expresses their commitment to promoting and including persons with disabilities throughout their operations worldwide.

It covers a wide range of areas, from protecting staff with disabilities from any kind of discrimination to making the company premises and communication to staff progressively
All signatories are members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network , which brings businesses together to promote disability inclusion by highlighting the business advantages of employing people with disabilities. It also facilitates the exchange of knowledge and good practices between companies, company networks and the ILO.

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. It combines the interests of the ILO employer constituents and of multinational enterprises.

The signing companies are: Accenture, AccorHotels, Adecco Group, AXA Group, Carrefour Group, Dow Chemical, Groupe Casino, L’Oréal, Orange, the Standard Bank Group, and Michelin.

Charter Principles
As a member of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network, the signatory multinational enterprises support the following principles and commits to work towards their company-wide implementation:
1. Promote and respect the rights of persons with disabilities by raising awareness and combating stigma and stereotypes faced by persons with disabilities.
2. Develop policies and practices that protect persons with disabilities from all types of discrimination.
3. 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.
4. Progressively make the company premises and communication to staff accessible for all employees with disabilities.
5. Undertake appropriate measures to enable current employees who acquire a disability to retain or return to their employment.
6. Respect confidentiality of personal information regarding disability.
7. Consider the needs of those persons with disabilities who face particular challenges accessing the labour market, including persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
8. 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.
9. Review regularly the company disability inclusion policies and practices for their effectiveness.
10. 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.