ACTRAV INFO – The inclusion of workers with disabilities is vital to achieving decent work and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), according to the conclusions of a seminar organised by the ILO’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) from 11 to 15 March 2019 in, Sao Paolo (Brasil).

People with disabilities are the world’s largest minority, representing some 15 per cent of the world’s population. However, people with disabilities are frequently victims of discrimination and their rights are often denied.

“Decent work removes barriers for all people with disabilities. It is strengthened in workplaces that adhere to ILO conventions on freedom of association and the right to organize. In turn, these are aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whose aim is to ‘leave no-one behind',” said Carmen Benitez, ACTRAV Regional Specialist for the Americas.

During the seminar, trade union participants shared best practices and defined strategies to be more effective in the implementation of the UN SDGs.

Activities on diversity and the inclusion of workers with disabilities were organised for the participants:

• The launch of the book "Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Through Workplace Adaptations – A Practical Guide";
• Visit to the Memorial of Inclusion: the paths of the Person with Disabilities organised by Espacio da Ciudadania in the presence of the coordinator Elza Ambrosio and Deputy Secretary Marco Antonio Pellegrini.

Participants adopted a guidance document for unions on the inclusion of workers with disabilities, based on the Decent Work Agenda, tripartism and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

25 union leaders affiliated to the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT, Brasil), Forca Sindical, UGT (União General dos Trabalhadores), Global Federations Industriall, International Public Services, IUF, Buildings and Construction attended this activity. Other participants included Carmen Benitez, ACTRAV Regional Specialist; Faustina Van Aperen, ACTRAV focal point on the issue of decent work for people with disabilities; Maribel Batista, ACTRAV Senior Specialist for Southern countries in the Americas; Thais Faria, ILO Brasil; representatives of the CEDDIS-OAS; UN Women; the Brazilian Ministry of Labor; the Municipal Secretariat for the Rights of People with Disabilities; the employers' network for the inclusion of people with disabilities; Laramara, the Brazilian Association of Assistance for the Visually Impaired.

For more information, please contact:

Maribel Batista
ACTRAV Senior Specialist for Southern Countries
Email