Programmes and projects

Since the early 1950s, the ILO has been providing technical cooperation to countries on all continents and at all stages of economic development. In the last decade, an average of some US$130 million was spent annually on technical cooperation projects. The projects are implemented through close cooperation between recipient countries, donors, and the ILO, which maintains a network of area and regional offices worldwide.

The overall purpose of ILO technical cooperation is the implementation of the Decent Work agenda at a national level, assisting constituents to make this concept a reality for all men and women. An extensive network of offices throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East provides technical guidance on policy issues, and assistance in the design and implementation of development programmes.

Featured projects

  1. Globe hovering over a plane with cutout human figures

    Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment

    The project aims to support the analysis and formulation of effective and coherent trade and labour market policies that address the adjustment challenges that workers and employers face and expand opportunities for the creation of decent employment in developing countries.

  2. Better Work

    Better Work is a unique partnership programme between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Launched in February 2007, the programme aims to improve both compliance with labour standards and competitiveness in global supply chains.

  3. CoopAfrica logo - orange, red and green dots separating letter in the word coop

    Cooperative Facility for Africa - CoopAfrica

    The Cooperative Facility for Africa - CoopAfrica is a technical cooperation programme of the ILO, under DFID funding. From its office in Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), CoopAfrica covers 9 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. CoopAfrica assists cooperatives to improve their governance, efficiency and performance in order to strengthen their capacity to create jobs, access markets, generate income, reduce poverty, provide social protection and give people a voice in society.

  4. Decent Work Country Programmes

    Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs)have been established as the main vehicle for delivery of ILO support to countries. The content of DWCPs varies from country to country based on national circumstances, the ILO’s global commitments and the priorities established in the Strategic Policy Framework, the Programme and Budget and the regional decent work agenda/decade.

  5. Improving safety and health at work through a Decent Work agenda

    The project was developed to better address safety and health at work as a vital component of decent work. By developing and implementing this time bound and targeted project, the European Union and the International Labour Organization are now joining efforts to ensure that safety and health measures attain their endpoint and reach the concerned beneficiaries.

  6. International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour: IPEC

    The ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour is the world’s largest technical cooperation programme to end child labour. Since 1992 it has assisted over 90 countries to develop policies and direct action programmes that address the root causes of child labour and provide alternatives for children and their families.

  7. Logo: Microinsurance Innovation Facility written under a blue umbrella.

    Microinsurance Innovation Facility

    The Microinsurance Innovation Facility seeks to increase the availability of quality insurance for the developing world’s low-income families to help them guard against risk and overcome poverty. The Facility was launched in 2008 with the support of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

  8. Global Employment Injury Programme – Insurance and Protection

    The GEIP is at the forefront of improving working conditions in enterprises by way of an enabling environment making employment injury benefits accessible for all their workers and at least as good as the minimum required under C.121  and affordable. The GEIP leads compensation interventions in special cases such as the Rana Plaza tragedy and works with enterprises and public institutions to ensure this does not happen again. The GEIP is the pillar of the Vision Zero Fund linking occupational safety and health prevention with worker’s compensation schemes. Through an extensive network of employment injury insurance and protection partner institutions and experts, the GEIP facilitates research, knowledge sharing amongst policy makers and social partners, supports the policy debate. Member States enjoy the technical advisory assistance through regional GEIP capacities working with ILO and linking them with the best expertise in the world to design and implement reforms and to ensure they deliver the best services to all types of enterprises.