313th Session of the Governing Body, 15-30 March 2012

Institutional Section (INS)

Deals with issues related to the functioning of the Office and of the Organization, including constitutional obligations. This encompasses standing items such as reporting, constitutional obligations, and urgent matters arising between or during sessions.

Policy Development Section (POL)

Covers the previous mandates of the Committee on Employment and Social Policy (ESP), the Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings and Related Issues (STM) and the Committee on Technical Cooperation (TC), and takes in the work of the Subcommittee on Multinational Enterprises (MNE). Enlarged to include social dialogue and industrial relations issues – such as labour law, labour administration and labour inspection, it ensures that strategies and policies for technical cooperation are fully discussed and mainstreams the standards dimension of the above matters.

Legal Issues and International Labour Standards Section (LILS)

Considers constitutional issues; Standing Orders (International Labour Conference, Governing Body, regional meetings, sectoral meetings); ILO’s standard-related work and procedures, including, among other matters; ILO’s supervisory machinery generally, the approval of reports forms for ILO Conventions and Recommendations and the selection of instruments for reporting under article 19 of the ILO Constitution; action relating to the protection of human rights; international legal instruments and judicial decisions affecting the status of the ILO’s standard-setting work; legal agreements concluded by the ILO with other international organizations.

Programme, Financial and Administrative Section (PFA)

Responsible for programming financial and general administrative matters and for personnel questions and takes in the work of the Information and Communication Technology Subcommittee and of the Building Subcommittee. Financial dimensions and implications of matters discussed in other sections are also treated in the PFA Section.

High-Level Section (HL)

The High-Level Section (HL) continues the Governing Body’s role as a forum for global policy discussion and strategic guidance without allowing types of debate more appropriate to the ILC or other bodies. It includes the Strategic Policy Segment as well as the Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization.

Working Party on the Functioning of the Governing Body and the International Labour Conference (WP/GBC)