The Responsible Business Forum (RBF), in collaboration with the Youth with Disabilities Forum (YDF), organized the third Sustainability Talks meeting on April 11th, focusing on “Inclusive Employment and Support for Employment of Persons with Disabilities”. The event was hosted by Delhaize Serbia, the recipient of the Most Inclusive Employer Award. Following the introductory presentation by the hosting company, a discussion ensued regarding various mechanisms contributing to inclusive employment and providing support for employment of persons with disabilities.
With the aim of comprehensively addressing the topic of fostering inclusion in the workplace, examples of good practices, projects, and programs in this field were presented by Simona Mitrović, Organizational culture ambassador at Delhaize Serbia; Slađana Lević, Program Director at YDF; Jovana Zeljić, Senior Learning and Development Specialist at UniCredit Bank; Marija Ignjatović, Director of Novitas Consult; and Margareta Musić, Manager of the Elixir Foundation and Director of Corporate Communications at Elixir Group. Throughout the discussion, dialogue was encouraged, and participants exchanged valuable experiences related to inclusive employment. The panelists highlighted the significance of the Most Inclusive Employer Award, which was awarded to Delhaize Serbia at the CSR & ESG Forum in December. They also introduced the Inclusive Employment Training for employers conducted by YDF for five major companies, including UniCredit Bank, whose training experiences were shared on this occasion. Participants also discussed the importance of business collaboration for the sustainable development of social enterprises and companies supporting the employment and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, with the partnership between the Elixir Group and Novitas Consult presented as a successful example.
The aim of this panel was to facilitate the exchange of experiences among representatives from various sectors regarding the promotion of inclusive employment, as well as to highlight positive practices that promote the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace.
Sustainability Talks are thematic meetings and gatherings organized by RBF for its members, aimed at exchanging knowledge, sharing experiences, challenges, and examples of good practice in sustainable development and responsible business. In addition to RBF network members, the third Sustainability Talks event was attended by members of the Network of Employers for the Employment of Persons with Disabilities, initiated by YDF in early 2021.
The Third Sustainability Talks was supported by the “Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities” project, financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by YDF, Smart Kolektiv, Caritas Serbia, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and the Center for Independent Living Serbia.
