The International Labour Organization (ILO) supported a capacity-building workshop in Lima titled “From barriers to talent: Including persons with disabilities in SERVIR,” aimed at strengthening inclusive employment practices within Peru’s civil service system. The training brought together 50 technical staff from the National Civil Service Authority (SERVIR) to enhance their ability to promote disability inclusion across public institutions.
SERVIR representatives emphasized that modern public management must integrate inclusion as a cross-cutting principle in human resource processes. The workshop helped participants develop technical tools to better support public entities in implementing inclusive recruitment and workforce management practices, particularly in coordination with human resources offices across the country.
Discussions during the workshop focused on disability inclusion in employment, quota systems, and international best practices. The initiative highlighted significant gaps in Peru’s public sector, where only 9 out of 143 audited institutions met the mandated 5% employment quota for persons with disabilities in 2023, pointing to the need for an estimated 72,000 additional hires to achieve compliance.
Participants also explored key concepts such as the social model of disability, reasonable accommodation, accessibility, and inclusive human resource management. These issues are particularly relevant given that only four in ten working-age persons with disabilities in Peru are currently employed, according to national survey data.
Officials from SERVIR noted that the workshop improved understanding of accessibility and reasonable accommodation while identifying institutional gaps that need to be addressed. They also stressed that promoting inclusion is a shared responsibility, especially given SERVIR’s role in setting guidelines for public sector employment policies.
The initiative was implemented under the United Nations PRO INCLUYE programme and forms part of the ILO’s technical cooperation efforts to build institutional capacity and promote inclusive workplaces in Peru’s public sector.
