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Mandate
The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the
promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. It was
founded in 1919 and is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles which
brought the League of Nations into being and it became the first specialized agency of the
UN in 1946.
The ILO formulates international labour standards in the form
of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights:
freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced
labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions
across the entire spectrum of work related issues. It provides technical assistance
primarily in the fields of:
• vocational training and vocational rehabilitation;
• employment policy;
• labour administration;
• labour law and industrial relations;
• working conditions;
• management development;
• cooperatives;
• social security;
• labour statistics and occupational safety and health.
It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organizations and
provides training and advisory services to those organizations. Within the UN system, the
ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers participating as equal
partners with governments in the work of its governing organs.
Director-General: Mr. Juan Somavia
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