1 / 18

Employment of people with disabilities – ILO initiatives and the wider international perspective

Employment of people with disabilities – ILO initiatives and the wider international perspective. Rudi Delarue, Director, ILO Office for the European Union and the Benelux countries Joint AOPD & EDFconference at EESC Brussels, Belgium 14.12.2012. Overview.

sfox
Download Presentation

Employment of people with disabilities – ILO initiatives and the wider international perspective

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Employment of people with disabilities – ILO initiatives and the wider international perspective Rudi Delarue, Director, ILO Office for the European Union and the Benelux countries Joint AOPD & EDFconference at EESC Brussels, Belgium 14.12.2012

  2. Overview • Whatis the International Labour Organization? • What does ILO do to promote inclusion and job opportunities for people with disabilities? • Longstanding ILO committment(first instrument already in 1925, Recommendation N° 22) • Whatopportunities are there for people withdisabilitiesaround the world? • At least 785 million personswithdisabilities are atworkingage • Estimatedloss of exclusion of personswithdisabilities: between 3 and 7 % GDP in some countries (ILO studies) • Wider international context and integration of humanrights in EU externalpolicy and action

  3. International Labour Organization • Specialized Agency of the United Nations • Set up in 1919, over 90 years ago • 185 Member States • Tripartite in Structure • Involves employer and worker representatives as well as governments • Decent Work Agenda • Employment, including skills and vocational training • Social protection • Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work • Social dialogue

  4. How ILO promotes decent work and inclusion for people with disabilities • ILO Standards onDisability • Developing Knowledge on Good Practice • Research, Evaluation • Publications • Advocacy • Policy Advice • Meetings and seminars • Training programmes • Long standing cooperationwith social partners and wider civil society • ILO Global Business and Disability Network: 40 MNEs and 18 national employers organisations and business associations • Tacklingdisabilityincluded in almost 50% of DecentWork Country programmes • Technical Cooperation Services

  5. What are ILO Standards? Conventions - Similar to international treaties - They set down international Labour standards - Are legally binding on States which ratify them Recommendations Non -binding guidelines on labour standards, which Guide national policy and practice They may accompany a convention, or stand alone Codes of Practice - These are agreed, non-binding, rules and procedures, which are usually written in legal language, to support the implementation of law

  6. ILO Standards on Disability • Convention 159 on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983 • ILO up to date convention • Ratification promoted • More and more ratified: • 82 ratifications in 2012( from 59 in 1998) thanks to ILO efforts supported by limited resources only!!! • most EU member states have ratified • more ratifications in other parts of the world • in MENA e.g.: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Tunisia, Yemen • Strongly influenced CRPD • Renewed support by ILO Governing Body, November 2012 • http://www.ilo.org/gb/GBSessions/GB316/pol/WCMS_191384/lang--en/index.htm • Recommendation 168, 1983 • Recommendation 99, 1955 • Code of Practice – Managing Disability in the Workplace, 2001

  7. What ILO Convention No. 159 requires • States should develop policy based on • Equality of opportunity for disabled persons • Equality of treatment of women and men with disabilities • Promoting access to general programmes and services, alongside non-disabled persons, where possible (Mainstreaming ) • Introduce special positive measures to compensate for disadvantages • Underlying convictions • Obstacles faced by disabled persons arise largelyfromsocietalbarriers, ratherthansolelyfromimpairments • People with disabilities represent great potential, yet to be fully unlocked

  8. Advocating Equal Opportunities • Example - Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, March 2010 • OpeningPathways to Training and Employmentfor People withIntellectualDisabilities in the African Region • Attendedbygovernment, employer, tradeunion and civil society • Looked at whatisworking, to enable people withintellectualdisabilities to get good jobs. • Addressedby people withintellectualdisabilitiesfrom 5 countries • ParticipantsadoptedLusaka Declaration

  9. Technical Cooperation Projects • Example • Promoting rights and opportunities for people with Disabilities through legislation 2012 – 2013 • Will provide technical advice and training for decision-makers and service providers in China • Aim: People with disabilities benefit from decent work opportunities

  10. Employment opportunities for people with disabilities around the world • High income countries • Sheltered workshops • Still widespread, but no longer popular with policy-makers • Supported employment • Involves on-job-training in ordinary workplaces • Job-coach provides support as long as needed • Growing emphasis on this option in many countries • Social firms • Businesses trading for social or environmental purpose • Over 25 percent of employees – disadvantaged people • Reasonable accommodations made for employees, relevant to their needs. • Community economic development initiatives

  11. Employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities around the world (2) • Low income countries • Village-based industries • Including farm work • Self-employment, small business enterprises • May be in family-run businesses • Could involve Community Economic Development initiatives • Supported Employment • Has been tried in some countries in the form of pilot projects • Limited application, as most new jobs in the informal economy

  12. What needs to be done next, by whom? • Governments • Gather information on current employment situation of people with disabilities, as well as barriers to employment and success factors • Develop a national policy on integrated employment for people with disabilities • Develop a national implementation strategy • Track progress through effective data collection • Widely disseminate positive results of pilot projects

  13. What needs to be done next, by whom?(2) • Service providers • Programmes should aim at inclusion in the mainstream • provide on-going formal and in-formal supports • Ensure well-planned transition from school to work • Effective data systems needed, to inform programme monitoring and development • Career guidance and planning important to ensure progression beyond entry-level jobs • Adequate training required for Supported Employment job coaches • Success stories should be gathered and publicized • Role models for job-seekers with intellectual disabilities • Way of convincing potential employers that people with intellectual disabilities can be loyal, productive workers.

  14. Promoting decent work opportunities for people with disabilities in their communities • Fundamental Changes required - including in • Roles of • special disability agencies, service providers • mainstream agencies, service providers • disability advocates • Involvement of social partners • Employers • Trade unions • Civil society • Certain types of services and programmes • Sheltered Employment • Vocational training

  15. Wider international context and integration in EU external policy and actions • ILO part of Inter-Agency Support Group for the CRPD • More attention for human rights in external policy and actions, including in EU development cooperation ? • New function of special EU representative for human rights in EU external action: highligthed importance of socio-econmic rights • ILO contributed to EC consultation on EC guidance note on disability in development cooperation • but no practical EC support yet for ILO related actions on disability (but e.g. very significant support by Ireland) • More attention to human rights in renewed EU neighbourhood policy • EU part of CRPD and part/involved in other human rights discussions (e.g. also within ILO)

  16. Wider international context and integration in EU external policy and actions • Post 2015 developmentframework and sustainabledevelopments goals offersopportunities • to move towards an integrated and more comprehensiveapproach • less top down approach: role for workers, employers and other parts of civil society • for betterintegratingeconomic, social, employment and environmental goals with a rightsbasedapproach • But administration and management of EU assistance based on so-calledsectors or themes(2, max 3 by country with exception of ENP): how canthis support integrated social and economicdevelopment? • Why not supportingintegrated national/regionaldevelopmentstrategies

  17. Read more about ILO including its work for Persons with Disabilitieswww.ilo.org/disabilitywww.ilo.org/inclusionwww.ilo.org/brussels

More Related