Mandate of the ILO

Mandate of the ILO The International Labour Organisation was created under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 along with the League of Nations and became, in 1946, the first specialised agency of the United Nations. It has a tripartite structure unique in the United Nations, in which employers' and workers' representatives - the social partners of the economy - have an equal voice with those of governments in shaping its policies and programmes.

The ILO has four principal strategic objectives:

  1. To promote and realize standards, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
  2. To create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment.
  3. To enhance the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all.
  4. To strengthen tripartism and social dialogue

These objectives are realised in a number of ways:

  1. Formulation of international policies and programmes to promote basic human rights, improve working and living conditions and enhance employment opportunities
  2. Creation of international labour standards to serve as guidelines for national authorities in putting sound labour policies into practice
  3. Formulation and implemention of an extensive programme of technical co-operation to make policies effective
  4. Training, educating, research and publishing activities to advance all these areas

The ILO is guided by the principle that social stability and integration can be sustained only if they are based on social justice, particularly the right to employment with fair compensation in a workplace that is not injurious / harmful to health.

The head office of the ILO is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

See ILO in Myanmar for details of the specific mandate of the ILO Liaison Officer in Myanmar.