UNR, together with the Inclusive Business Network of Argentina, officially launched the country's first job fair for people with disabilities.

At an event held at the University Cultural Center, the main themes, objectives, and first strategic partners of the Rosario Inclusion Expo, which will take place on December 11th, International Human Rights Day, were presented. Through stands, talks, and interactive activities, this meeting space for the private sector, academia, and civil society promotes accessibility, human development, and equal opportunities.

This first edition seeks to strengthen the regional commitment to labor inclusion and support organizations in the region in developing more diverse, fair, and accessible environments. It will be held in person at the UNR School of Architecture and virtually through the UNR website. Network of Inclusive Companies of Argentina In parallel, the 8th Congress "Disability and Business: On the Path to Inclusion" will take place, a space for reflection and training that will complement the trade fair offerings.

The launch ceremony was presided over by Rector Franco Bartolacci, the Network's Co-Executive Director Fernando Carotta Derudder, the Secretary of Human Rights of the UNR Paula Contino, and the Secretary of Human Rights of the Faculty of Political Science Viviana Marchetti.

"The fact that we can prioritize and give centrality to this agenda in this context, and the way we are doing it, fills me with modest pride as Rector of the University," Bartolacci stated, adding that this is happening because there is a conviction in this community and because many things had been done. He expressed his gratitude for this commitment, which "not only shows us the path we must take, but also maintains strong pressure so that we can effectively move in that direction."

The UNR Rector pledged to continue working along these lines, prioritizing institutional public policy on this agenda, acting in a real, transformative, and genuine way to bring about the changes that are needed and still pending, but also allocating resources to make these transformations truly possible. "This is our humble contribution to being able to think from a more hopeful perspective in a world that will one day give us a different image."

For her part, Viviana Marchetti clarified that "choosing to hold this expo and this congress is not a decorative gesture, it's a statement. We choose to stand on the side of human dignity and work as a right, as an identity, and as a citizen." She added: "With work, there is autonomy, there is social participation, there is a life plan and a public voice. Without employment, however, citizenship becomes fragile."

He stated that it is not a problem of capabilities, it is a problem of access, reasonable adjustments and institutional decisions: “From the Universidad Nacional de Rosario We accept that simply opening the door isn't enough. Inclusion is a process that leaves no one behind. We must design accessible positions, support career paths, build teams, adapt physical, communication, and digital spaces, and evaluate what we do to improve." He emphasized that this applies to all institutions, be they companies, unions, public bodies, social organizations, and, of course, universities. "Inclusion is not generosity or charity. It's strategy; it's innovation and institutional quality."

Inclusive Business Network

The Network was founded on June 2, 2022, and brings together more than thirty companies committed to promoting decent work, equal opportunities, and the effective inclusion of people with disabilities, integrating the Global Business and Disability Network of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Ibero-American Network of Inclusive Businesses of the Ibero-American Social Security Organization (ISSO). The holding of this Fair in Rosario is part of the Network's federal decentralization process, which promotes this and other initiatives at the national level.

Journalist: Victoria Arrabal/Photographer: Camila Casero