International Labour Organization (11.0) 3
International Labour Organization (11.0) 3 : A United Nations (UN) specialized agency which is mandated to address labour issues. Established in 1919 along with the League of Nations, its mandate is rooted in the Treaty of Versailles, and its main objectives are to improve labour conditions, promote productive employment and social progress, and raise living standards. The ILO became part of the UN system in 1946. In 1944 at its Philadelphia conference, the ILO reaffirmed its mandate by adopting the Declaration of Philadelphia. This declaration states in part that labour is not a commodity, that freedom of association and expression are essential to sustained progress, that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere and that a war against it should be waged by all nations. The ILO is a unique organization within the United Nations system, because of its tripartite (tripartism) nature. Tripartism is the practice where governments, workers (labour) and employers (capital) are joint actors in the organization's decision-making process. Among its many activities in pursuit of its objectives, the ILO is perhaps best known for the generation of International Labour Standards. Such standards are of two types: the ILO Convention and the ILO recommendation. An ILO Convention is a body of minimum acceptable standards, relative to the protection of workers, and the improvement of working conditions. They are like international treaties relating to the field of labour law, and they are subject to ratification. The ILO Recommendation, on the other hand, is a body of guidelines to assist in the proper implementation of a convention. They often supplement a convention and spell out its provisions in greater detail. ILO Conventions and Recommendations are grouped under the headings: (a) Freedom of association; (b) Prohibition of forced labour; (c) Equality of opportunity and treatment; (d) Employment and human resources; (e) Labour administration; (f) Industrial relations; (g) Wages; (h) Weekly rest and paid leave; (i) Occupational safety and health; (j) Social security; (k) Employment of women; (l) Employment of children and young persons; (m) Migrant workers; (n) Plantations; (o) Hours of work. Ratification of an ILO Convention implies obligations of the state to: (a) Take such action (particularly legislation) as may be necessary to make effective the provisions of the convention; (b) consult with workers and employers in setting up machinery to give effect to the provisions; and (c) Be willing to be subjected to the ILO's monitoring systems. With respect to monitoring, the ILO has a rigorous mechanism in place, in the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations. The ILO offers technical assistance to member States to facilitate the adoption and enforcement of its standards. Additionally, technical assistance is offered in employment promotion, worker and management education and training, labour administration, improving industrial relations, developing social security systems, enhancing working conditions, and the promotion of occupational safety and health and environmental awareness. It is also a printing house, providing information on a constant basis, in both printed and electronic formats. Apart from the Secretariat in Geneva, the day-to-day work of the ILO is also executed by ILO regional and sub-regional offices located in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia
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