ILO policy and procedure relating to public-private partnerships

The ILO policy and procedure relating to Public and Private Partnerships are contained in the Director General’s Announcement (IGDS No.81 – Version 1 - 14 July 2009) and in the Office Procedure (IGDS N83-Version 1 - 14 July 2009).

The 2009 Director-General’s Announcement defines a PPP as a “voluntary and collaborative relationship between the ILO and one or more partners, including private and non-state actors , for the purpose of carrying out cooperative activities of mutual interest.” PPPs can take different forms in their end goal of applying the decent work agenda to solve challenges in labour and development – they can be formal or informal and can involve a transfer of funds or other types of cooperation. They are listed as follows:
  • Funding or donations in kind by or between actors in the partnership
  • Development and implementation of projects or other activities
  • Organization of meetings or other events
  • Campaigning or advocacy
  • Temporary placement of personnel
  • Publication and research projects
  • Exchange or pooling of knowledge and information.

Guiding principles

The 2006 International Labour Conference reiterated the basic principles that should characterize any potential PPP. They were incorporated in the  Director General’s Announcement and Office Procedure that were issued in 2009, to define the criteria to which any new initiative should respond as a precondition for the establishment of a PPP. These principles are that they must –

Conform to ILO principles and values, for example the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization (2008), the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), and the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (1977, as revised), as well as the relevant principles concerning human rights, environment and anti-corruption reflected in the Global Compact
  • Promote the Decent Work Agenda, based on the four strategic objectives of the ILO
  • Foster tripartism at all levels (national, regional, sectoral, international)
  • Promote gender equality
  • Assure accountability, clearly spelling out the responsibilities of each party in a partnership agreement along with defined time lines and measurable outputs and making information on partnership activities publicly available and reported to the ILO Governing Body
  • Build sustainability in economic, environmental and social fields, making optimum use of the resources of each participant in the partnership, and fostering local and national ownership and exit strategies
  • Guarantee impartiality, being managed with the interests of the ILO as paramount, in accordance with ILO regulations, rules and procedures and with no access or influence on the Organization’s policy-making system or structures, including its standard-setting and supervisory machinery
  • Ensure non-preferential treatment and non-endorsement.