Global perspective Human stories

Three multinationals join UN global network on disability inclusion

Men and women at the entrance of a school in Romania that teaches people with disabilities.
World Bank/Flore de Préneuf
Men and women at the entrance of a school in Romania that teaches people with disabilities.

Three multinationals join UN global network on disability inclusion

Human Rights

Three multinational enterprises – Capgemini, Legrand and the Savola Group – today became the latest members of a United Nations global network that promotes equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in the workplace.

“People with disabilities constitute some 15 per cent of the world’s population,” pointed out Guy Ryder, Director-General of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), at the annual meeting in Geneva of the Global Business and Disability Network.

“In striving to achieve full and equal rights and participation in society for all women and men with disabilities, we are pleased to forge and strengthen such as the Global Business and Disability Network,” he added.

The Network serves as a platform for companies for peer-to-peer support on disability inclusion policies and practices, with the goal to promote the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities in the private sector, including in developing countries.

Participants at the meeting discussed the business case of digital accessibility and how to become more accessible for employees and clients with disabilities. Moreover, the meeting showcased good business practices on advertising that is inclusive and contributes to a positive image of persons with disabilities.

The meeting, among other things, also highlighted ways to prepare companies for the future of work by addressing their internal skills gaps through tapping into the professional potential of people with disabilities.

Representatives from Capgemini, Legrand and the Savola Group, together with other disability champions among the business community, also shared their success stories and challenges in putting principles of the Network into practice.