Resources on disability and work

  1. Disability inclusion benefits business

    22 October 2018

    Discussions about diversity, business and human rights need to include persons with disabilities, says ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, at the opening of the annual meeting of the ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network, in Geneva, Switzerland.

  2. © Nguyen A. / ILO 2024
    The future world of work must be fully inclusive of people with disabilities

    01 December 2017

    “People with disabilities, with their skills and talents, are an important asset to the labour markets today and in the future,” says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

  3. Enabling policies for persons with disabilities are crucial to achieving SDGs

    03 December 2016

    People with disabilities are the world’s largest minority, says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. However, their right to productive employment and decent work is frequently denied.

  4. ILO Director-General: 'Millions of women and men with disabilities face exclusion'

    03 December 2015

    "Today, we renew our commitment to achieving full and equal rights and participation in society for all women and men with disabilities," says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

  5. © GARO / Phanie 2024
    Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology

    03 December 2014

    Statement by Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

  6. Including people with disabilities, everyone stands to gain

    03 December 2013

    “Too many people with disabilities are denied the dignity of work (...) We need to break barriers and open doors for an inclusive society for all,” says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in a statement on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

  7. Message by Juan Somavia Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities- 3 December 2011

    01 December 2011

    On this Day the ILO calls for a concerted effort to expand opportunities for decent and productive work for persons with disabilities as one of the most effective channels of inclusive development.

  8. Message by ILO Director-General on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3 December 2010

    02 December 2010

  9. Statement of American actress Marlee Matlin on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities: “Dignity and Justice for All of Us”

    01 December 2008

  10. Message by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office, on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities

    01 December 2008

    Of the 650 million people with disabilities – around 10 per cent of the world’s population – some 470 million are of working age. About 80 per cent live in developing countries, and the vast majority are either living below the poverty line or are engaged in vulnerable forms of work. “Dignity and Justice for All of Us” is highly pertinent in light of the deepening global economic crisis. People with disabilities are often excluded and marginalized – not least from the world of work. They are particularly vulnerable in times of crisis.