Convention 111 and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

C111 – Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King Jr
I had to endure the worst time of all in terms of racial discrimination in Hollywood when I first started out. It was inconceivable to American directors and producers that a Mexican woman could have a lead role.
Salma Hayek


Direct and indirect discrimination at work denies opportunities to individuals and deprives society of what those people can contribute. Eliminating discrimination starts with dismantling barriers and ensuring equality in access to training and education, as well as the ability to own and use resources. In recognition of this fact, the Convention on Discrimination (No. 111) was adopted at the International Labour Conference on 25 June 1958. Convention No. 111 entered into force on 15 June 1960.

Convention No. 111 affirms that discrimination constitutes a violation of rights enunciated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It upholds the fact that all people, irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity. Convention No. 111 is one of the eight Conventions identified by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office as fundamental to the rights of human beings at work, irrespective of the level of development of individual member States.

Convention No. 111 has been ratified by 172 countries to date.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March


Watch the walls come down, whether it's in the South or on Wall Street. When the walls come down, what do we find? More markets, more talent, more capital and growth. Which means that the race and sex discrimination stunt economic growth.
Jesse Jackson


The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Despite well-established labour laws governing discrimination based on race in both industrialized and developing economies, discrimination on this ground continues to exist. Racial discrimination perpetuates income inequalities, stifles development, productivity and competitiveness at the enterprise level, and ignites political instability.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on 21 March, reminds us of our collective responsibility for promoting and protecting the equality of all human beings. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people in Sharpeville at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid "pass laws" in South Africa. Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the United Nations subsequently decided in 1979 that a week of solidarity with peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination would be organized annually, beginning on 21 March, in all States. The official United Nations theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2013 is "Racism and Sport".

Related ILO Conventions