Decision concerning the ILO in a changing multilateral environment: Towards better effectiveness and efficiency

The Governing Body:

(i) expressed its concerns about the evolving financial and budgetary challenges;

(ii) supported the strategic vision for the ILO’s review, with the understanding that it would be further developed, anchored on a two-pronged endeavour of implementing immediate financial efficiency measures and undertaking a thoughtful structural reform of the Organization to secure its medium- to long-term efficacy and impact;

(iii) reaffirmed that the ILO’s reform and all subsequent measures shall be guided by, and fully respect, the Organization’s constitutional mandate, its fundamental principles, and its tripartite governance structure, and further reaffirmed that the implementation of the reform shall safeguard the ILO’s operational autonomy and ensure that its standards policy, social dialogue and the decisions taken by its governance organs are respected and implemented;

(iv) requested the Director-General to proceed with the reform process guided by the following priorities:

• (a) focus on delivering the Organization’s core mandate;
• (b) develop robust proposals for reprioritization, ensuring the meaningful consultation of tripartite constituents, in the preparation of decision-making at the 356th Session (March 2026) of the Governing Body;
• (c) base all necessary decisions, including those pertaining to financial implications, on a transparent and evidence-based analysis of costs, savings, benefits and risks, while not pre-empting the reprioritization exercise;
• (d) optimize the ILO’s capacity in the field to deliver on the ground and respond to constituents’ needs and preserve, to the extent possible, technical and capacity-building programmes being implemented in developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries, including necessary assistance for any reporting reform;
• (e) preserve the necessary normative, technical and policy expertise at headquarters in Geneva, recognizing the different and mutually reinforcing roles of experts at headquarters and in the field;
• (f) take all necessary measures to ensure that, throughout the reform process and its implementation, consultations and negotiations are held with the Staff Union in line with article 10.1 of the ILO Staff Regulations;
• (g) ensure that any and all measures taken will preserve and safeguard the operational capacity of the Organization to deliver on its fundamental mandate and address the critical importance of equitable geographical representation and gender balance in staffing at all levels, including reflecting experience relevant to all constituent groups;
• (h) take into account the guidance provided by the Governing Body at its 355th Session (November 2025) regarding the ILO’s participation in the UN80 process.

(v) requested the Director-General to submit to the Governing Body for decision at its 356th Session (March 2026) the reprioritization framework and the ILO’s development cooperation and human resources strategies, taking into account the guidance provided by the Governing Body.

(GB.355/INS/7, paragraph 90, as amended by the Governing Body)