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Combating discrimination – The situation today

Promoting equal opportunity and a decent job for all women and men, without discriminating on the basis of race, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation is a means to develop the global economy and guarantee income and personal dignity for all.  

The most recent report by the International Labour Organization (I.L.O), released in March 2007, offers a global view of discrimination, from its more traditional forms – based on sex, race, religion – up to new forms of discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, health and disability. Today discrimination in employment is nearly universally condemned. In 2007, nine out of ten I.L.O member states ratified the convention concerning equal remuneration and the convention on discrimination. Certain countries recently made changes to their labor codes to include new measures. The report nevertheless underlines a rise in various forms of discrimination over the past four years. This situation may result in political instability and social upheavals that hinder investment and economic growth, preventing businesses from realizing the full potential of today's global economy. 

More than any other sector, the pharmaceutical industry has a genuine responsibility toward humankind. Sanofi-aventis is at the heart of one of the major challenges facing the planet: health. Its primary mission is to meet patients' needs wherever they may be across the globe, and regardless of their condition. Similarly, because it operates in 100 countries, the Group is determined to combat all forms of discrimination among employees. Its development will necessarily require respect for local cultures and regulations.  

• Go to the Global Report "Equality at work: Tackling the challenge" from the I.L.O (International Labour Organization)
• Go to the I.L.O website (International Labour Organization)
• Go to the HALDE website (Haute Autorité française de Lutte contre les Discriminations et pour l’Egalité) (in French)