MOPAN released its most recent assessment of the ILO in 2021.
The mandate of the International Labour Organization (ILO) – a specialized agency of the UN - is to advance social justice and promote decent work. The Decent Work Agenda, endorsed by the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization in 2008, translates the ILO mandate into action. The agenda has four strategic objectives: employment, social protection, social dialogue and tripartism, as well as fundamental principles and rights at work, with gender equality and non-discrimination as cross-cutting issues (ILO, 2016a). The ILO serves its tripartite constituents through:
the creation of international labour standards backed by a system to supervise their application;
the formulation of international policies and programmes to promote basic human rights, improve working and living conditions and enhance employment opportunities;
a programme of international development co-operation formulated and implemented in partnership with constituents to help countries put these policies into practice; and
training, education and research activities to help advance these efforts.
The ILO has a strong normative mandate that includes the adoption, ratification, supervision and implementation of international labour standards. The organisation’s normative function forms its core activity. The international labour standards take the form of conventions and recommendations; conventions are legally binding on ILO member states that have ratified them, whereas recommendations serve as non-binding guidelines.
The year 2019 marked an important point for the ILO. The organisation celebrated its centenary, consolidating its relevance and strategic position as it entered its second century. The ILO invested in reflection and consultation to understand future needs in the world of work and adopted a human-centred approach embedded in the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work to address these needs. The reinforced mandate and long-term vision provided by the Declaration, together with internal reforms initiated in 2012, provided a fertile ground for change and innovation. All of this meant that when the COVID-19 crisis struck, the ILO was in a good position to adapt and respond with agility.
