GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a three-day conference entitled ”ILO100 – Law for Social Justice” on the occasion of its Centenary year.

The three-day event looked at four thematic areas – philosophy of law, human rights, public international law, and law of international organizations.

“The topics are of acute relevance to international law, international organizations and the multilateral system at large,” said ILO Deputy Director-General Greg Vines. “The Centenary offers an extraordinary opportunity to portray the ILO’s unique dynamism. A dynamism marked by the unwavering commitment to human-centric values, dialogue and pragmatism,” Vines told participants.

Speakers, including members of the International Law Commission, academics and legal practitioners from other international organizations, had an opportunity to reflect on current issues of legal theory and practice affecting international institutions in the light of ILO’s social justice mandate.

Since it was created in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles that brought the First World War to an end, the ILO has shaped international law, largely through its comprehensive body of international treaties in the field of social and labour rights, and a pioneering system for the supervision of their application.

Among others, participants examined the influence of the ILO’s mandate on multilateralism and international law, assessed 100 years of ILO standard-setting and how it relates with the broader human rights agenda, and looked at the future of normative international organizations in the light of current challenges faced by the multilateral system.