ILO STANDARDS

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with issues relating to labor and industrial relations. It was founded on April 11, 1919, in the framework of the negotiations of the Treaty of Versailles. Its Constitution, sanctioned in 1919, is complemented by the Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944.

The ILO has a tripartite government, made up of representatives of governments, trade unions and employers. Its supreme body is the International Conference, which meets annually in June. Its administrative body is the Governing Body, which meets quarterly. The Governing Body is the executive body of the ILO, and meets three times a year in Geneva. It makes decisions on ILO policies and establishes the program and budget that are subsequently presented to the Conference for approval. It also elects the Director-General. In 2003, Chilean Juan Somavía was re-elected to the post.

The ILO’s headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize. It is made up of 183 national states (2010).