The International Labour Organisation is the UN agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. It was founded in 1919 and is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles which brought the League of Nations into being. In 1946, the ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN. It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organisations and provides training and advisory services to those organisations. Within the UN system, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure that brings together Governments, and representatives from Employers’ and Workers’ organisations.

The ILO formulates international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights: freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of work related issues. It provides technical assistance primarily in the fields of:

• Vocational training and vocational rehabilitation
• Employment policy
• Labour administration
• Labour law and industrial relations
• Working conditions
• Management development
• Cooperatives
• Social security
• Labour statistics and occupational safety and health

More information can be found at: www.ilo.org/public/english/about/index.htm