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Key Documents

  1. ILO Constitution
    The different ILO bodies, the functioning of the Conference, and the adoption and application of international labour standards are governed by the Constitution. The original ILO Constitution formed Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Since that date it has been amended on six occasions, and has become a separate instrument. In 1944, the Conference adopted the Declaration of Philadelphia, which restated the fundamental aims and purposes of the ILO. The Declaration is annexed to and forms an integral part of the Constitution.
  2. Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference (as amended)
    The Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference are a set of practical rules on how to carry out activities relating, among other things, to the adoption of international labour standards. They lay down the procedure for the Governing Body to place standard-setting items on the agenda of the Conference, deadlines for the preparation and circulation of reports and questionnaires, and the procedures of the Conference committees that adopt standards (First Standing Orders adopted at the First Session of the Conference (November 1919). Amended text adopted at the 109th Session of the Conference (2021)).
  3. 2019 ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work
    Adopted by the Conference at its 108th session, 21 June 2019.
  4. 2008 Declaration on social justice for a fair globalization
    Adopted by the International Labour Conference at its Ninety-seventh Session, Geneva, 10 June 2008. The Declaration expresses the universality of the Decent Work Agenda: all Members of the Organization must pursue policies based on the strategic objectives – employment, social protection, social dialogue, and rights at work. At the same time, it stresses a holistic and integrated approach by recognizing that these objectives are “inseparable, interrelated and mutually supportive”, ensuring the role of international labour standards as a useful means of achieving all of them.
  5. 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Annex revised 2010)
    Adopted in 1998, the Declaration commits Member States to respect and promote principles and rights in four categories, whether or not they have ratified the relevant Conventions. These categories are: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced or compulsory labour, the abolition of child labour and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
  6. Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy
    The MNE Declaration is the only ILO instrument that provides direct guidance to enterprises on social policy and inclusive, responsible and sustainable workplace practices. It was adopted in 1977 (amended in 2000 and 2006) and revised in 2017. Its principles are addressed to MNEs, governments, and employers’ and workers’ organizations and cover areas such as employment, training, conditions of work and life, and industrial relations as well as general policies. All principles build on international labour standards (ILO conventions and recommendations).
  7. General Surveys since 1985
    Examination of law and practice in a particular subject area, in member States that have or have not ratified relevant conventions - (Report III (Part 1B) of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations)
  8. Preparatory reports for the adoption of conventions and recommendations
    Background and preparatory work: texts of the preparatory reports, discussions at the International Labour Conference, committee reports, votes and texts of the Convention (Labordoc database)
  9. Handbook of procedures relating to international labour Conventions and Recommendations (Centenary Edition 2019)
    This Handbook describes the procedures operating within the International Labour Organization in relation to the adoption and implementation of Conventions and Recommendations.
  10. Compilation of decisions of the Committee on Freedom of Association
  11. Special procedures for the examination in the International Labour Organization of complaints alleging violations of freedom of association - Annex I
  12. Standing Orders concerning the procedure for the examination of representations under articles 24 and 25 of the Constitution of the ILO
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