ILO Office for the United States and Canada

For more than a century, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has served as the world’s only global forum where labor standards are negotiated, adopted, and monitored. Founded in 1919 with strong U.S. leadership, the ILO’s tripartite structure, bringing together governments, employers, and workers organizations, ensures that standards are practical, widely supported, and grounded in real world realities.

The importance of the ILO to the United States is demonstrated through its role in promoting fair global competition, reducing exploitation in supply chains, and fostering stability amongst key trading partners. By preventing a race to the bottom in working conditions, ILO conventions and its supervisory and monitoring system helps ensure that American businesses and workers are not disadvantaged by unfair competition abroad.

U.S. leadership has been central to advancing the ILO’s mission. As a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body, the United States helps shape global priorities on issues that align with core American values, including eliminating forced and child labor, strengthening freedom of association, and promoting transparent, accountable global supply chains. U.S. support to the ILO has delivered tangible results across sectors critical to American economic interests. For example, the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention and Work in Fishing Convention support U.S. efforts to address labor abuses in distant‑water fleets that are closely linked to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These practices distort seafood markets and undercut American fishers and often extend to other illicit activities. Through innovative data‑collection methodologies piloted in Indonesia, South Africa, and Ghana, the ILO is producing the world’s first representative datasets on forced labor in marine fishing, an area of high enforcement priority for the United States.

Another growing area of strategic importance is the energy and critical mineral sector, where the ILO provides essential analysis and technical support. Asia and the Pacific now produce the majority of the world’s cobalt, lithium, nickel, and other minerals vital to U.S. industries including electric vehicles, energy storage, electronics, and defense manufacturing. ILO research has documented significant labor risks in these sectors, such as unsafe working conditions, child labor, forced labor, informality, and wage abuses. These vulnerabilities create operational and supply chain risks that can disrupt U.S. manufacturing and undermine access to the materials essential for technological advancement and energy security. By assessing labor conditions in key producer countries and supporting stronger legal and governance frameworks, the ILO helps stabilize supply chains.

In manufacturing and agriculture, ILO standards and technical assistance help governments strengthen labor inspection, reduce exploitation, and improve compliance, benefiting U.S. companies operating abroad and promoting a level playing field for American producers. The ILO’s impact can be made visible through its flagship Better Work program, a long-standing partnership with the IFC that provides transparent labor compliance assessments, remediation support, and capacity building within 13 key countries in the global garment supply chain. For example, in Haiti, Better Work operates the core monitoring and remediation mechanism relied upon by approximately twenty-nine major American brands sourcing from the apparel sector. The program conducts independent factory assessments, publishes findings, and provides advisory services that help U.S. companies manage operational risk, meet due diligence expectations, and maintain confidence in sourcing relationships. Beyond factory-level improvements, Better Work strengthens national labor institutions in Haiti by training labor inspectors and improving systems for dialogue and dispute resolution, contributing to more sustainable governance over time. This work supports nearshoring, strengthens Western Hemisphere supply chains sourcing U.S. cotton, and sustains tens of thousands of decent jobs in Haiti, contributing to greater economic stability in a region of critical interest to the United States.

Across every economic sector ranging from energy to manufacturing to fisheries, the ILO remains an indispensable partner in upholding global labor standards and promoting stable, resilient, and competitive supply chains. Its work supports a rules-based international system that helps governments implement sound labor policies and provides workers and employers with a clear and predictable framework for labor rights.

To learn more, visit the ILO at https://www.ilo.org and the Better Work program at https://betterwork.org.

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