The ILO’s work on indigenous issues centres around a number of core themes. The themes outlined in this section are considered particularly relevant because they connect the ILO’s standards on indigenous and tribal peoples to broader national and international work on human rights, local economic development and poverty reduction.
Some of these themes constitute core areas of the ILO’s mandate, or fundamental principles and rights at work, such as the elimination of all forms of forced labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Other themes outlined here have been identified as important because they represent the main issues that have arisen in the ILO’s experience of supervising the implementation of Convention No. 169, and through technical cooperation activities.