Our mandate
The Office of the Legal Adviser provides support to the Director-General, the Office and the governing organs of the Organization on institutional legal matters. In addition, it furnishes legal advice to the International Training Centre of the ILO.
The Legal Adviser traditionally assumes the role of Legal Adviser of the Conference
under the Standing Orders
of the International Labour Conference. A similar role is played under the
Standing Orders of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office. Over
time, the Office of the Legal Adviser has developed concepts relating to the
fundamental nature and functioning of the Organization, such as greater representativity
of the Governing Body, mechanisms for declaring international labour Conventions
obsolete, development of the ILO
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and creation of
the Committee
on Freedom of Association.
The Office of the Legal Adviser offers ILO staff, in the Regions and at HQ,
tools and advice to
enable them to act in the best interests of the Organization in accordance with
ILO rules and procedures. To complement the links to official documents, the
FAQs on this site give quick responses to recurring questions. Our office is
contributing to the legal framework for “Delivering as One” and for Decent Work
Country Programmes.
With our aim to provide sound legal advice on a timely basis, we:
- carry out legal work relating to the application, interpretation or amendment of the Constitution of the Organisation, the Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference, the Compendium of rules applicable to the Governing Body, the Rules for Regional Meetings, and the Financial Rules and Regulations, in addition to work relating to the functioning of all ILO bodies;
- oversee the finalization of official texts of international labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as other instruments;
- examine, in coordination with NORMES, questions regarding the ratification and interpretation of international labour Conventions and Recommendations;
- provide Secretariat services during the International Labour Conference for the Standing Orders Committee and the Credentials Committee, process credentials for the Conference and regional meetings, prepare, and assist Conference technical committees;
- prepare documents and serve as the Secretariat for the Legal Issues section of the Governing Body Committee on Legal Issues and International Labour Standards;
- consider questions concerning the status of the Organization and its privileges and immunities, including the negotiation of bilateral agreements, in the various countries where the ILO operates;
- advise on the legal aspects of cooperation between the ILO and other intergovernmental organizations;
- review, in coordination with CODEV and FINANCE, agreements with donors and host governments for technical cooperation projects;
- perform, in consultation with ED/MAS and HRD, legal work involving the Internal Governance Documents System (IGDS) (for staff only) and personnel questions, including the drafting, revision and application of the Staff Regulations and other relevant rules;
- prepare briefs on behalf of the Director-General in cases brought before the ILO Administrative Tribunal;
- act as a member of various internal committees, including the Committee on Accountability, Contracts Committee, Compensation Committee, and SHIF Management Committee;
- participate in United Nations system meetings on issues of common concern and advise on common system legal issues;
- provide advice and perform other legal work to assist in the conclusion and interpretation of commercial contracts at the request of the ILO's Procurement service, including those for services and materials, real property and intellectual property.
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