From Disability Benefits to Gainful Employment: Sub-regional Conference Report, 6-8 Oct. 2005, Reumal Center, Fojnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

In 2004, ILO SRO Budapest asked the Austrian Government to co-fund a sub-regional seminar on disability pension reform to bring together all ILO constituents from all SEE countries (the former Yugoslavia, except Slovenia; but Albania, Moldova; and some representatives of NGOs from the host country). The purpose was to focus on detailed problems regarding the transition from benefit regimes to job integration. This request was positively received by the Austrian Government, and its funding was supplemented by French project resources, used for the disability policy survey described above. For policymakers, a meaningful reintegration of persons with disabilities into the workplace should entail the following goals brought into focus at this conference:• to come to a common understanding of the linkages – both mutually reinforcingand tensions – among employment, labour market, and social protection (benefits) policies• to evaluate the incentive/disincentive functions of disability benefit systems with regard to the labour market integration of beneficiaries• to identify the potential benefits of shifting from benefit-based approaches to labour market integration approaches in disability policy• to understand how persons with disabilities perceive their own needs for support in seeking to enter or reenter employment• to develop a set of next steps for disability policy reform towards employment integration. These were the goals of the conference “From Disability Benefits to GainfulEmployment”, held in Fojnica, BiH in October 2005 with the support of the Austrian Government. The participants included over 30 participants from federal, regional entity, and municipal levels of government in BiH as well as two representatives each from Albania, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia – who are either policymakers, senior civil servants at labour market and social security/assistance institutions, managers of service delivery and rehabilitation institutions in the area of disability policy or subsequent fields, or NGOs working for disability rights in BiH and other SEE countries

Zambia Country Profile: Promoting the Employability and Employment of People with Disabilities Through Effective Legislation (Southern Africa)

In recent years, many countries have adopted policies aiming to promote the rights of people with disabilities to full and equal participation in society. In Africa, some countries have made progress in introducing disability-related legislation, but many of these laws have not yet been implemented, and in others, existing national laws need to be reviewed in order to achieve equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. The country study for Zambia is part of an ILO project, “Promoting the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation”. The first phase of the programme (2001-2004) aimed at enhancing the capacity of national governments in selected countries of East Africa and Asia1 to implement effective legislation concerning the employment of people with disabilities. Phase 2 of the project (2004-2007) is extending coverage to several additional countries (Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia in Africa and Viet Nam in Asia), with a broadened focus on provisions for vocational training and skills development. This country study outlines the main provisions of the laws and policies in place in Zambia concerning the employment and training of people with disabilities. An initial review of the implementation of the legislation is also provided. A concluding comment underlines the progress made in the country and points to areas that have been identified, by key stakeholders or in the literature, as in need of further improvement. It may be read in conjunction with the regional overview prepared for the Technical Consultation in 2002, “Employment of people with disabilities - The impact of legislation (East Africa),Technical Consultation Report, Addis Ababa, 20-22 May 2002”, ILO, 2002

Individual country profile: South Africa - Promoting the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation (Southern Africa)

In recent years, many countries have adopted policies aiming to promote the rights of people with disabilities to full and equal participation in society. In Africa, some countries have made progress in introducing disability-related legislation, but many of these laws have not yet been implemented, and in others, existing national laws need to be reviewed in order to achieve equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. The country study for Zambia is part of an ILO project, “Promoting the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation”. The first phase of the programme (2001-2004) aimed at enhancing the capacity of national governments in selected countries of East Africa and Asia1 to implement effective legislation concerning the employment of people with disabilities. Phase 2 of the project (2004-2007) is extending coverage to several additional countries (Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia in Africa and Viet Nam in Asia), with a broadened focus on provisions for vocational training and skills development. This country study outlines the main provisions of the laws and policies in place in South Africa concerning the employment and training of people with disabilities. An initial review of the implementation of the legislation is also provided. A concluding comment underlines the progress made in the country and points to areas that have been identified, by key stakeholders or in the literature, as in need of further improvement. It may be read in conjunction with the regional overview prepared for this Consultation: Employment of people with disabilities: The impact of legislation (East Africa), Technical Consultation Report, Addis Ababa, 20-22 May 2002, ILO, 2002

Rural Women's Empowerment through Employment from the Beijing Platform for Action Onwards

This article provides a critical analysis of the conceptualisation of women's empowerment through employment (and later decent work) from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action through to the Millennium Development Goals, the Decent Work Agenda and current proposals for the post?2015 Development Agenda. The article focuses on the context of rural women. Through a historical overview of the increasing importance placed on employment and the ‘world of work’ for poverty reduction and women's empowerment within the development discourse, the article analyses the implications and gaps of prevailing approaches. The article also provides recommendations to enhance the potential of rural employment and decent work in promoting women's empowerment, including with specific reference to the debates around the post?2015 Development Agenda

Skills development through Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR): A good practice guide

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is a multi-sectoral approach tomeeting the health, education, vocational skills and livelihood needsof children, youth and adults with disabilities, primarily in developingcountries. Chapter 1 provides information about important concepts associated with CBR programmes and about contextual factors that need to be considered by CBR practitioners. Chapter 2, Skills and work basics, explores the various types of skills that need to be included in training programmes for disabled people and how these skills are effectively applied in the workplace.Chapter 3, CBR and skills development, outlines practical strategies for developing skills for employment and for operating a small business. It includes a number of case studies illustrating good practice.Chapter 4, CBR and livelihoods, gives tips on how to build relationships withemployers and employer organizations that can result in successful jobplacements, on-the job training, work trials or other forms of collaboration. Chapter 5, Building support in the community, provides guidance on how toimprove the effectiveness of CBR programmes by building partnerships with mainstream agencies, NGOS and service organizations. Supporting self-help groups of disabled people is also explored.Chapter 6 summarizes the guide’s key messages for CBR practitioners. Case studies illustrating good practice are included throughout

Achieving Equal Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities through Legislation: Guidelines

[From Preface] For a long time it was assumed that unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities was closely interrelated to, unavoidable consequence of, the physical and mental impairments of the persons concerned. It is now recognised that many of the disadvantages they face and the fact that they are often excluded are not due to individual impairments, but rather a result of the reaction of society to that impairment. Laws and policies are part of this reaction. These guidelines reflect the reappraisal of disability as a human rights issue. Intended for policy-makers and drafters of legislation, they have been developed with a view to assisting in improving the effectiveness of national laws concerning training and employment of disabled persons, as part of an ILO Project The Employment of People with Disabilities: the Impact of Legislation . Funded by the Government of Ireland, this project aims to enhance the capacity of governments of selected countries to implement effective legislation on the employment of people with disabilities - either in the form of new laws, or revisions to existing laws, or through the development of regulations or policies to implement laws. In addition to compiling information on laws and their effectiveness, the project provides technical assistance to selected national governments in implementing necessary improvements in their laws. These drafting guidelines are intended as a tool to support this technical advisory role and will be available to all participating countries

The Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Vocational Training and Employment: Proceedings of a Tripartite European Regional Meeting, Geneva, 9 Mar. 2007

At the European Regional Meeting on The Inclusion of Persons with Disabilitiesin Vocational Training and Employment, Geneva, 9 March 2007, the ILO, alongthe CTNERHI, France, and the Office of the Secretary of State for Families andPersons with Disabilities, Belgium discussed with delegates of a number ofEuropean countries, and representatives of employers’ and workers’organizations, how to structure and organize applied research, internationalcomparative studies, and the systematic gathering and sharing of information that address the questions regarding equal opportunity and effective inclusion of persons with disabilities in vocational training and employment in the open labour market. The primary objective for this preliminary meeting was to initiate the process, and develop a formal proposal for the applied research, including the organization of an international platform to coordinate and advise the process

ILO Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention (No. 159) and Recommendation (No. 168) / United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The full English text of ILO Convention No. 159 on Vocational Rehabilitationand Employment (Disabled Persons), ILO RecommendationNo. 168 concerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment(Disabled Persons), and the United Nations Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities is contained in this booklet