The International Labour Organization (ILO) is an agency affiliated with the United Nations that deals with issues related to labor and labor rights. The ILO aims to promote workers’ rights, improve working conditions and increase access to decent and productive work for all women and men.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was established in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference as an autonomous organization affiliated with the League of Nations. After World War II, it became an affiliate of the United Nations. The ILO is headquartered in Geneva. In 1969, the International Labour Organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The ILO has 187 members: 186 of the 193 UN member states and the Cook Islands.

The International Labour Organization focuses on four main objectives:

• Promoting workers’ rights – the ILO develops international conventions and recommendations that set minimum standards for workers’ rights.
• Enforcing fair working conditions – The organisation strives to establish fair working conditions, including working hours, health and safety at work, and protection against discrimination.
• Ensuring social dialogue – The ILO promotes dialogue between governments, employers and workers to strengthen consensus and cooperation in labour policy-making.
• Fighting Poverty – The organization works on programs that aim to eradicate poverty by creating decent jobs and promoting sustainable development.

The ILO is unique among UN agencies in that its structure is based on a tripartite model that includes government representatives, employers and workers. This structure ensures that all parties with an interest in labour issues have an equal voice in the creation of standards and policies.

The ILO has developed more than 190 conventions and recommendations on a wide range of topics such as rights in the workplace, social security, social dialogue and employment conditions. Member States that ratify these conventions undertake to implement and comply with them.

In the face of globalisation, technological change and new forms of work organisation, the ILO is facing challenges, such as the need to update existing labour standards and develop new ones to respond to contemporary labour market challenges. This organization plays a key role in promoting decent work and sustainable economic development around the world.

The International Labour Organization is thus the foundation for global labour standards and labour rights, striving for a world where every worker enjoys working conditions that are safe, fair and ensure a dignified life.

Source: https://kadry.infor.pl/kadry/zbiorowe_prawo_pracy/6360834,miedzynarodowa-organizacja-pracy.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.