Policy Development Section

Labour-related provisions in trade agreements: Recent trends and relevance to the ILO

The paper summarizes recent ILO research regarding the significant increase in the number of trade agreements that include labour provisions. It highlights the role of workers and employers in the negotiation and implementation phase and the relevance to the ILO. It points to the heightened importance of trade policies with accompanying measures to strengthen labour market institutions as a key means of promoting decent work and inclusive growth. The Governing Body is invited to request further work on these issues (see the draft decision in paragraph 31).

Conference paper | 30 September 2016