About the ILO The ILO is the international organization responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour

standards. It is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes promoting Decent Work for all. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with labour issues, particularly international labour standards and decent work for all. Almost all (185 out of 193) UN members are part of the ILO. In 1969, the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving peace among classes, pursuing justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to developing nations. The ILO registers complaints against entities that are violating international rules; however, it does not impose sanctions on governments.

Unlike other United Nations specialized agencies, the International Labour Organization has a tripartite governing structure representing governments, employers and workers (usually with a ratio of 2:1:1). The rationale behind the tripartite structure is creation of free and open debate among governments and social partners. The ILO secretariat (staff) is referred to as the International Labour Office. Governing Body The Governing Body decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft programme and budget of the organization for submission to the conference, elects the director-general, requests information from member states concerning labour matters, appoints commissions of inquiry and supervises the work of the International Labour Office. Juan Somava has been the ILO's director-general since 1999. Guy Ryder was elected as the next director-general and begins his term in October 2012. This guiding body is composed of 28 government representatives, 14 workers' representatives, and 14 employers' representatives. Ten of the government seats are held by member states that are nations of "chief industrial importance," as first considered by an "impartial committee." The nations are Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The terms of office are three years.

International Labour Conference The ILO organizes the International Labour Conference in Geneva every year in June, where conventions and recommendations are crafted and adopted. Also known as the parliament of Labour, the conference also makes decisions about the ILO's general policy, work programme and budget. Each member state has four representatives at the conference: two government delegates, an employer delegate and a worker delegate. All of them have individual voting rights, and all votes are equal, regardless of the population of the delegate's member state. The employer and worker delegates are normally chosen in agreement with the "most representative" national organizations of employers and workers. Usually, the workers' delegates coordinate their voting, as do the employers' delegates. All delegate have the same rights, and are not required to vote in blocs. Conventions Through July 2011, the ILO has adopted 189 conventions. If these conventions are ratified by enough governments, they gain the status of treaties. However, ILO conventions are considered international labour standards regardless of ratifications. When a convention comes into force as a treaty, it creates a legal obligation for ratifying nations to apply its provisions. Every year the International Labour Conference's Committee on the Application of Standards examines a number of alleged breaches of international labour standards. Governments are required to submit reports detailing their compliance with the obligations of the conventions they have ratified. Conventions that have not been ratified by member states have the same legal force as do recommendations. In 1998, the 86th International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. This declaration contains four fundamental policies: 1. The right of workers to associate freely and bargain collectively; 2. The end of forced and compulsory labour; 3. The end of child labour; and 4. The end of unfair discrimination among workers. The ILO asserts that its members have an obligation to work towards fully respecting these principles, embodied in relevant ILO Conventions. The ILO Conventions which embody the fundamental principles have now been ratified by most member states. Recommendations Recommendations do not have the binding force of conventions and are not subject to ratification. Recommendations may be adopted at the same time as conventions to
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supplement the latter with additional or more detailed provisions. In other cases recommendations may be adopted separately and may address issues separate from particular conventions. Membership

As of 2012, 185 countries in the UN are members of the ILO. The constitution of the ILO offers that any nation which has a membership in the UN can become a member of the ILO. To gain membership, a nation must inform the Director General that it accepts all the obligations of the ILO constitution. Members from the ILO under the League of Nations were automatically added when the organization's new constitution came into effect after World War II. In addition, any original member of the United Nations and any state admitted to the U.N. thereafter may join. Other states can be admitted by a two-thirds vote of all delegates, including a two-thirds vote of government delegates, at any ILO General Conference. Non-members are: Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Bhutan, North Korea, Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga, Islands, Niue, Vatican City and the states with limited recognition. Position within the UN The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). As with other UN specialized agencies (or programmes) working on international development, the ILO is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.

Origins and history

The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice. The Constitution was drafted between January and April, 1919, by the Labour Commission set up by the Peace Conference, which first met in Paris and then in Versailles. The Commission, chaired by Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labour (AFL) in the United States, was composed of representatives from nine countries: Belgium, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It resulted in a tripartite organization, the only one of its kind bringing together representatives of governments, employers and workers in its executive bodies.
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The Constitution contained ideas tested within the International Association for Labour Legislation, founded in Basel in 1901. Advocacy for an international organization dealing with labour issues began in the nineteenth century, led by two industrialists, Robert Owen (1771-1853) of Wales and Daniel Legrand (1783-1859) of France. The driving forces for ILO's creation arose from security, humanitarian, political and economic considerations. Summarizing them, the ILO Constitution's Preamble says the High Contracting Parties were 'moved by sentiments of justice and humanity as well as by the desire to secure the permanent peace of the world...' There was keen appreciation of the importance of social justice in securing peace, against a background of exploitation of workers in the industrializing nations of that time. There was also increasing understanding of the world's economic interdependence and the need for cooperation to obtain similarity of working conditions in countries competing for markets. Reflecting these ideas, the Preamble states:

1. Whereas universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice; 2. And whereas conditions of labour exist involving such injustice hardship and privation to large numbers of people as to produce unrest so great that the peace and harmony of the world are imperilled; and an improvement of those conditions is urgently required; 3. Whereas also the failure of any nation to adopt humane conditions of labour is an obstacle in the way of other nations which desire to improve the conditions in their own countries. The areas of improvement listed in the Preamble remain relevant today, for example: 1. Regulation of the hours of work including the establishment of a maximum working day and week; 2. Regulation of labour supply, prevention of unemployment and provision of an adequate living wage; 3. Protection of the worker against sickness, disease and injury arising out of his employment; 4. Protection of children, young persons and women; 5. Provision for old age and injury, protection of the interests of workers when employed in countries other than their own; 6. Recognition of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value; 7. Recognition of the principle of freedom of association;
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8. Organization of vocational and technical education, and other measures.

Early days

Working for social justice is our assessment of the past and our mandate for the future." Juan Somavia, Director-General

The ILO has made signal contributions to the world of work from its early days. The first International Labour Conference held in Washington in October 1919 adopted six International Labour Conventions, which dealt with hours of work in industry, unemployment, maternity protection, night work for women, minimum age and night work for young persons in industry. The ILO was located in Geneva in the summer of 1920 with France's Albert Thomas as the first Director of the International Labour Office, which is the Organization's permanent Secretariat. Under his strong impetus, 16 International Labour Conventions and 18 Recommendations were adopted in less than two years. This early zeal was quickly toned down because some governments felt there were too many Conventions, the budget too high and the reports too critical. Yet, the International Court of Justice, under pressure from the Government of France, declared that the ILO's domain extended also to international regulation of conditions of work in the agricultural sector. A Committee of Experts was set up in 1926 as a supervisory system on the application of ILO standards. The Committee, which exists today, is composed of independent jurists responsible for examining government reports and presenting its own report each year to the Conference. Depression and War The Great Depression with its resulting massive unemployment soon confronted Britain's Harold Butler, who succeeded Albert Thomas in 1932. Realizing that handling labour issues also requires international cooperation, the United States became a Member of the ILO in 1934 although it continued to stay out of the League of Nations.

American John Winant took over in 1939 just as the Second World War became imminent. He moved the ILO's headquarters temporarily to Montreal, Canada, in May 1940 for reasons of safety but left in 1941 when he was named US Ambassador to Britain. His successor, Ireland's Edward Phelan, had helped to write the 1919 Constitution and played an important role once again during the Philadelphia meeting of the International Labour Conference, in the midst of the Second World War, attended by representatives of governments, employers and workers from 41 countries. The delegates adopted the Declaration of Philadelphia, annexed to the Constitution, still constitutes the Charter of the aims and objectives of the ILO. In 1946, the ILO became a specialized agency of the newly formed United Nations. And, in 1948, still during the period of Phelan's leadership, the International Labour Conference adopted Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and the right to organize. The Post-War Years America's David Morse was Director General from 1948-1970 when the number of Member States doubled, the Organization took on its universal character, industrialized countries became a minority among developing countries, the budget grew five-fold and the number of officials quadrupled. The ILO established the Geneva-based International Institute for Labour Studies in 1960 and the International Training Centre in Turin in 1965. The Organization won the Nobel Peace Prize on its 50th anniversary in 1969. Under Britain's Wilfred Jenks, Director-General from 1970-73, the ILO made advanced further in the development of standards and mechanisms for supervising their application, particularly the promotion of freedom of association and the right to organize. His successor Francis Blanchard of France, expanded ILO's technical cooperation with developing countries and averted damage to the Organization, despite the loss of one quarter of its budget following US withdrawal from 1977-1980. The ILO also played a major role in the emancipation of Poland from dictatorship, by giving its full support to the legitimacy of the Solidarnosc Union based on respect for Convention No. 87 on freedom of association, which Poland had ratified in 1957. Belgium's Michel Hansenne succeeded him in 1989 and guided the ILO into the post-Cold War period, emphasizing the importance of placing social justice at the heart of international economic and social policies. He also set the ILO on a course of decentralization of activities and resources away from the Geneva headquarters.

On 4 March 1999, Juan Somavia of Chile took over as Director General. He emphasizes the importance of making decent work a strategic international goal and promoting a fair globalization. He also underlines work as an instrument of poverty alleviation and ILO's role in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including cutting world poverty in half by 2015.

History Establishment The ILO was established as an agency of the League of Nations following the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. E. H. Greenwood, U.S. Delegate and Harold B. Butler, Secretary-General, with secretarial staff of the first International Labour Conference in Washington, D.C., OctoberNovember 1919, in front of the Pan American Building VanDaele (2005) argues that in 1919 a pioneering generation of scholars, social policy experts, and politicians designed an unprecedented international organizational framework for labour politics. The founders of the ILO had made great strides in social thought and action before 1919. The core members all knew one another from earlier private professional and ideological networks, in which they exchanged knowledge, experiences, and ideas on social policy. Prewar 'epistemic communities,' such as the International Association for Labour Legislation (IALL), founded in 1900, and political networks, such as the Socialist Second International, were a decisive factor in the institutionalization of international labour politics. In the postWorld War I euphoria, the idea of a 'makeable society' was an important catalyst behind the social engineering of the ILO architects. As a new discipline, international labour law became a useful instrument for putting social reforms into practice. The utopian ideals of the founding fathers social justice and the right to decent work were changed by diplomatic and political compromises made at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, showing the ILO's balance between idealism and pragmatism. Trade unions Over the course of World War I, the international labour movement proposed a comprehensive programme of protection for the working classes, conceived as compensation for labour's support of the war. This programme was supposed to become an international agreement after the war. In 1919, politicians took it up in order to give social stability to the postwar order. However, the way in which the programme was instituted disappointed the high expectations of trade unions. Politicians offered labour an institution that could attempt to achieve trade-union demands. Despite open disappointment and sharp critique, the
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revived International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), founded in 1913, quickly adapted itself to this mechanism. The IFTU increasingly oriented its international activities around the lobby work of the ILO. Post-war reconstruction and the protection of labour unions occupied the attention of many nations during and immediately after World War I. In Great Britain, the Whitley Commission, a subcommittee of the Reconstruction Commission, recommended in its July 1918 Final Report that "industrial councils" be established throughout the world. The British Labour Party had issued its own reconstruction programme in the document titled Labour and the New Social Order. In February 1918, the third Inter-Allied Labour and Socialist Conference (representing delegates from Great Britain, France, Belgium and Italy) issued its report, advocating an international labour rights body, an end to secret diplomacy, and other goals. And in December 1918, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) issued its own distinctively apolitical report, which called for the achievement of numerous incremental improvements via the collective bargaining process. As the war drew to a close, two competing visions for the post-war world emerged. The first was offered by the International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), which called for a meeting in Bern in July 1919. The Bern meeting would consider both the future of the IFTU and the various proposals which had been made in the previous few years. The IFTU also proposed including delegates from the Central Powers as equals. Samuel Gompers, president of the AFL, boycotted the meeting, wanting the Central Powers delegates in a subservient role as an admission of guilt for their countries' role in the bringing about war. Instead, Gompers favoured a meeting in Paris which would only consider PresidentWoodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points as a platform. Despite the American boycott, the Bern meeting went ahead as scheduled. In its final report, the Bern Conference demanded an end to wage labour and the establishment of socialism. If these ends could not be immediately achieved, then an international body attached to the League of Nations should enact and enforce legislation to protect workers and trade unions. Meanwhile, the Paris Peace Conference sought to dampen public support for communism. Subsequently, the Allied Powers agreed that clauses should be inserted into the emerging peace treaty protecting labour unions and workers' rights, and that an international labour body be established to help guide international labour relations in the future. The advisory Commission on International Labour Legislation was established by the Peace Conference to draft these proposals. The Commission met for the first time on 1 February 1919, and Gompers was elected chairman. Two competing proposals for an international body emerged during the Commission's meetings. The British proposed establishing an international parliament to enact labour laws which each member of the League would be required to implement. Each nation would have
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two delegates to the parliament, one each from labour and management. An international labour office would collect statistics on labour issues and enforce the new international laws. Philosophically opposed to the concept of an international parliament and convinced that international standards would lower the few protections achieved in the United States, Gompers proposed that the international labour body be authorized only to make recommendations, and that enforcement be left up to the League of Nations. Despite vigorous opposition from the British, the American proposal was adopted. Gompers also set the agenda for the draft charter protecting workers' rights. The Americans made 10 proposals. Three were adopted without change: That labour should not be treated as a commodity; that all workers had the right to a wage sufficient to live on; and that women should receive equal pay for equal work. A proposal protecting the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association was amended to include only freedom of association. A proposed ban on the international shipment of goods made by children under the age of 16 was amended to ban goods made by children under the age of 14. A proposal to require an eighthour work day was amended to require the eight-hour work day or the 40-hour work week (an exception was made for countries where productivity was low). Four other American proposals were rejected. Meanwhile, international delegates proposed three additional clauses, which were adopted: One or more days for weekly rest; equality of laws for foreign workers; and regular and frequent inspection of factory conditions. The Commission issued its final report on 4 March 1919, and the Peace Conference adopted it without amendment on 11 April. The report became Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles. The first annual conference (referred to as the International Labour Conference, or ILC) began on 29 October 1919 at the Pan American Union (building) in Washington, D.C. and adopted the first six International Labour Conventions, which dealt with hours of work in industry, unemployment, maternity protection, night work for women, minimum age and night work for young persons in industry. The prominent French socialist Albert Thomas became its first Director General. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the United Nations system after the demise of the League in 1946. Its constitution, as amended, includes the Declaration of Philadelphia (1944) on the aims and purposes of the organization. United Nations In 1946, the ILO became the first specialized agency of the newly-formed United Nations.

US membership and withdrawal At the time of establishment, the US government was not a member of ILO, as the US Senate rejected the Covenant of the League of Nations, and the US could not join any of its agencies. Following the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the US presidency, the new administration made renewed efforts to join the ILO even without League membership. On 19 June 1934, the US Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the President to join ILO without joining the League of Nations as a whole. On 22 June 1934, the ILO adopted a resolution inviting the US government to join the organization. On 20 August 1934, the US government responded positively and took its seat at the ILO. In July 1970, the US withdrew 50% of its financial support to the ILO following the appointment of an Assistant-Director General from the Soviet Union. This appointment (by the ILO's British Director-General, C. Wilfred Jenks) drew particular criticism from AFLCIO president George Meany and from Congressman John E. Rooney. However, the funds were eventually paid.

Ratifications of 1976 Tripartite Consultation Convention On June 12, 1975, the ILO voted to grant the Palestinian Liberation Organization observer status at its meetings. Representatives of the United States and Israel walked out of the meeting. The US House of Representatives subsequently decided to withhold funds. The US gave notice of full withdrawal on November 6, 1975, stating that the organization had become politicized. The US also suggested that representation from communist countries was not truly "tripartite"including government, workers, and employersbecause of the structure of these economies. The withdrawal became effective on November 1, 1977. The US returned to the organization in 1980 after extracting some concessions from the organization. It was partly responsible for the ILO's shift away from a human rights approach and towards support for the Washington Consensus. Writes economist Guy Standing: "the ILO quietly ceased to be an international body attempting to redress structural inequality and became one promoting employment equity."

Programs Labour statistics The ILO is a major provider of labour statistics. Labour statistics are an important tool for its member states to monitor their progress toward improving labour standards. As part of their statistical work, ILO maintains several databases, such as Laborsta. This database covers 11
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major data series for over 200 countries. In addition, ILO publishes a number of compilations of labour statistics, such as the Key Indicators of Labour Markets (KILM). KILM covers 20 main indicators on labour participation rates, employment, unemployment, educational attainment, labour cost, and economic performance. Many of these indicators have been prepared by other organizations. For example, the Division of International Labour Comparisons of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics prepares the hourly compensation in manufacturing indicator. Training and teaching units The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO) is based in Turin, Italy. Together with the University of Turin, Faculty of Law, the ITC offers training for ILO officers and secretariat members, as well as offering educational programmes. For instance, the ITCILO offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme in Management of Development, which aims specialize professionals in the field of cooperation and development. Child labour The term child labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.

It refers to work that:

is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

In its most extreme forms, child labour involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities often at a very early age. Whether or not particular forms of "work" can be called child labour depends on the child's age, the type and hours of work performed, the conditions under which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual countries. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among sectors within countries.

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Many consumers in developed countries are outraged to think that the products such as clothes of household goods they use might be the efforts of child labour from developing countries.Strong international treaties are taking place to legalize child labour. Yet long cultural traditions and deprived economies do not respond readily to moral lectures pushed by international bodies. Resistant to many comprehensive development strategies, child labour shows less hope of becoming history. Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination. Childrens or adolescents participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling is generally regarded as being something positive. This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to childrens development and to the welfare of their families; they provide them with skills and experience, and help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life.

ILOs response to child labour The ILOs International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) was created in 1992 with the overall goal of the progressive elimination of child labour, which was to be achieved through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labour. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on technical cooperation projects that reached over US$74 million, 50 million in 2006. It is the largest programme of its kind globally and the biggest single operational programme of the ILO. The number and range of IPECs partners have expanded over the years and now include employers and workers organizations, other international and government agencies, private businesses, community-based organizations, NGOs, the media, parliamentarians, the judiciary, universities, religious groups and, of course, children and their families. IPEC's work to eliminate child labour is an important facet of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda. Child labour not only prevents children from acquiring the skills and education they need for a better future, it also perpetuates poverty and affects national economies through losses in competitiveness, productivity and potential income. Withdrawing children from child labour, providing them with education and assisting their families with training and employment opportunities contribute directly to creating decent work for adults.
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INDUS Child Labour Project The INDUS (India-US) Child Labour Project is a US$40 million, 25 million initiative between the ILO-IPEC, Government of India, and the US Department of Labour. Started in 2004, the project covered an estimated 80,000 children across 21 districts in 5 major states. The project came to a conclusion in March 2009. The INDUS Project target districts include

Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh Delhi

INDUS aims to eliminate child labour in these 5 states among 10 hazardous sectors.

Hand-rolled beedi cigarettes Brassware Leather, rubber, and plastic footwear Hand-blown glass bangles Hand-made locks Hand-broken quarried stones Hand-spun/hand-loomed silk thread, yarn and fabric Fireworks Hand-dipped matches Handmade bricks

INDUS Project Strategies

Strengthening public education

To ensure that children withdrawn from the hazardous sectors do not relapse, Transitional Education Centres (TEC) were established to ease the mainstreaming of children back into schools within 24 months. Education up to Class VI and VII were provided by the TECs. Primary health care including health check-ups, school meals and stationaries were all funded by the project. Each child was paid a stipend of Rs. 100 per month, as long as they attained a minimum attendance rate of 80%.

Providing vocational training

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Vocational centres were established to help equip children with necessary life skills which make decent incomes in the future viable. In addition to focusing on knowledge, skills and computer literacy, the centres also carried out life enrichment education, which includes basic workers rights and the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Travelling allowances of up to a maximum of Rs.300 per month and tools kits were sponsored.

Providing income-generating opportunities to the families of child labour

In an effort to compensate families loss in income due to their children enrolling into the education system, training agencies that specialize in micro-enterprise development and skill training were established. These agencies assisted families in selecting an appropriate microenterprise or to improve an existing skill.

Primary school net enrolment rate between years 20052009 was 83%, a more than threefold increase from the 1950s level of 26%.

Criticisms

Delays in the Transitional Education Centres (TEC) resulted in mainstreamed children being released to public schools at a sluggish rate. Having completed the education provided by TEC, children were not transferred to public schools promptly.

Progress in the income generation segment has been relatively slow. Financial benefits only reached pockets of a few targeted mothers in Tamil Nadu by mid 2007.

Issues Forced labour The definition of forced labour can be found in section 73.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) (the Criminal Code). It is defined as the condition of a person who provides labour or services (other than sexual services) and who, because of the use of force or threats: (a) is not free to cease providing labour or services; or (b) is not free to leave the place or area where the person provides labour or services. The ILO has considered the fight against forced labour to be one of its main priorities. During the interwar years, the issue was mainly considered a colonial phenomenon, and the ILO's concern was to establish minimum standards protecting the inhabitants of colonies from the worst abuses committed by economic interests. After 1945, the goal became to set a uniform and universal standard, determined by the higher awareness gained during World War II of politically and economically motivated systems of forced labour, but debates were hampered by the Cold War and by exemptions claimed by colonial powers. Since the 1960s,
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declarations of labour standards as a component of human rights have been weakened by government of postcolonial countries claiming a need to exercise extraordinary powers over labour in their role as emergency regimes promoting rapid economic development.

In June 1998 the International Labour Conference adopted a Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up that obligates member States to respect, promote and realize freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. With the adoption of the Declaration, the International Labour Organization (ILO) created the InFocus Programme on Promoting the Declaration which is responsible for the reporting processes and technical cooperation activities associated with the Declaration; and it carries out awareness raising, advocacy and knowledge functions. In November 2001, following the publication of the In Focus Programme's first Global Report on forced labour, the ILO Governing Body created a Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL), as part of broader efforts to promote the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up. Since its inception, SAP-FL has focused on raising global awareness of forced labour in its different forms, and mobilising action against its manifestation. Several thematic and country-specific studies and surveys have since been undertaken, on such diverse aspects of forced labour as bonded labour, human trafficking, forced domestic work, rural servitude, and forced prison labour. The Special Action Programme to combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL) has spearheaded the ILOs work in this field since early 2002. The programme is designed to:

Raise global awareness and understanding of modern forced labour Assist governments in developing and implementing new laws, policies and action plans Develop and disseminate guidance and training materials on key aspects of forced labour and trafficking

Implement innovative programmes that combine policy development, capacity building of law enforcement and labour market institutions, and targeted, field-based projects of direct support for both prevention of forced labour and identification and rehabilitation of its victims.

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Minimum wage law To protect the right of labours for fixing minimum wage, ILO has created Minimum WageFixing Machinery Convention, 1928, Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery (Agriculture) Convention, 1951 and Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 as minimum wage law. HIV/AIDS Under the name ILOAIDS, the ILO created the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work as a document providing principles for "policy development and practical guidelines for programmes at enterprise, community, and national levels." Including:

prevention of HIV management and mitigation of the impact of AIDS on the world of work care and support of workers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived HIV status.

Indigenous peoples ILO-Convention 169 concerns indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries. It was adopted on 27 June 1989 by the General Conference of the ILO at its 76th session. Its entry into force was 5 September 1991. Migrant workers As the word "migrant" suggests, migrant workers refer to those who moves from place to place to do their job. For the rights of migrant workers, ILO has adopted conventions, including Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 and United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 1990. Domestic workers Domestic workers are those who perform a variety of tasks for and in other peoples. For example, they may cook / clean the house and look after children. Yet they are often the ones with the least consideration, excluded from labour and social protection. This is mainly due to the fact that women have traditionally carried out the tasks without pay. For the rights and decent work of domestic workers including migrant domestic workers, ILO has adopted Convention on domestic workers on 16 June 2011.

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ILO and Globalization Seeking a process of globalization that is inclusive, democratically governed and provides opportunities and tangible benefits for all countries and people. The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization was established by the ILO's Governing Body in February 2002 at the initiative of the Director-General in response to the fact that there did not appear to be a space within the multilateral system that would cover adequately and comprehensively the social dimension of the various aspects of globalization. The World Commission Report, A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All, is the first attempt at structured dialogue among representatives of constituencies with different interests and opinions on the social dimension of globalization, aimed at finding common ground on one of the most controversial and divisive subjects of our time.

Recent ILO Committee Reports and Recommendations The ILO has several specialized and technical committees that focus on labour relations and trade union rights issues. One of these bodies is the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. This committee has successfully issued recommendations in 2010 on 6 anomalous and highly celebrated cases in the labour front, two of which are the following: Case Number 2716 International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF) and the National Union of Workers in the Hotel, Restaurant, and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN), Dusit Hotel Nikko Chapter supported by the Alliance of Progressive Labour (APL), the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), the Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN), the National Labor Union (NLU), Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), the Alliance of Coca-Cola Unions of the Philippines (ACCUP), the Automotive Industry Workers Alliance (AIWA), the League of Independent Bank Organization (LIBO), the National Alliance of Broadcast Unions (NABU), the Postal Employees Union of the Philippines (PEUP), Pinag-isang Tinig at Lakas ng Anak Pawis (PIGLAS), the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA) and the Workers Solidarity Network (WSN).

The complainants allege that, in a decision concerning anti-union dismissals in the context of a labour dispute, the Supreme Court of the Philippines held that workers who shaved or cropped their hair engaged in an unprotected illegal strike, and thus upheld the dismissal of 29 trade union officers and allowed dismissal of 61 trade union members, in violation of the principles of freedom of association. The issue has been protested on wildly in the Philippines.
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Case Number 2669 International Wiring Systems Workers Union (IWSWU)

Military threat and harassment against IWSWU officers and their families; interference by the armed forces of the Philippines in trade union affairs by dissuading trade union members to engage in collective bargaining; and vilification campaign against IWSWU members and families to the detriment of their safety and security

Tripartite constituents
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the only tripartite U.N. agency with government, employer, and worker representatives. This tripartite structure makes the ILO a unique forum in which the governments and the social partners of the economy of its Member States can freely and openly debate and elaborate labour standards and policies. Member States Today the ILO comprises 183 Member States. In addition to the States which were Members of the International Labour Organization on 1 November 1945, any original member of the United Nations and any State admitted to membership of the United Nations by a decision of the General Assembly may become a Member of the ILO by communicating to the Director-General its formal acceptance of the obligations of the Constitution of the Organization. The General Conference of the International Labour Organization may also admit Members to the Organization by a vote of two-thirds of the delegates attending the session, including two-thirds of the Government delegates present and voting.
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Workers' Organization Free trade unions are democratic, self-organizing institutions of working people wishing to advance their rights as workers and citizens. Despite the denial of the right to organize in many countries the international trade union movement is the worlds largest and most representative organization based on voluntary membership. Trade unions are key civil society institutions in most democratic countries. In a rapidly globalizing world the challenge of securing decent work, safe conditions of work, living wages, basic social security, gender equality and fair income distribution call for better global governance and universal application and enforcement of international labour standards. Since its creation, trade unions have regarded the ILO as an essential institution for promoting the protection of workers through global social dialogue and standard setting. As the main link between the International Labour Office and workers, the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) - a specialized unit within the ILO Secretariat- coordinates all the activities of the Office related to workers and their organizations, both at headquarters and in the field. The Mandate of the Bureau for Workers' Activities is to strengthen representative, independent and democratic trade unions in all countries, to enable them to play their role effectively in protecting workers' rights and interests and in providing effective services to their members at national and international levels, and to promote the ratification and implementation of ILO Conventions.

1. More about the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities 2. Employers' Organizations Employers' Organizations are institutions set up to organize and advance the collective interests of employers. They are crucial for shaping an environment conducive to competitive and sustainable enterprises that can contribute to economic and social development, and by providing services that improve and guide individual performance of enterprises. Employers organizations are a critical component of any social dialogue process, which can help to ensure that national social and economic objectives are properly and effectively formulated and enjoy wide support among the business community which they represent.
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As one of the three constituents of the ILO, employers' organizations have a special relationship with the Organization. The ILO's Bureau for Employers' Organizations - a specialized unit within the ILO Secretariat - is responsible for the nurturing and development of that relationship. Its task is to maintain close and direct relations with employers' organizations in member States, to make the ILO's resources available to them and to keep the ILO constantly aware of their views, concerns and priorities. The Bureau also runs a Technical Cooperation Programme, which provides assistance to employers' organizations in developing and transition countries. ACT/EMP works in close cooperation with the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) on the international labour and social policy issues the ILO deals with.

International Labour Office

The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization. It is the focal point for International Labour Organization's overall activities, which it prepares under the scrutiny of the Governing Body and under the leadership of the Director-General. The Office employs some 2,700 officials from over 150 nations at its headquarters in Geneva, and in around 40 field offices around the world. Among these officials, 900 work in technical cooperation programmes and projects. The Office also contains a research and documentation centre. ILO Director-General A new Director-General is elected every five years by the Governing Body. Subject to the instructions of the Governing Body, the Director-General is responsible for the efficient conduct of the International Labour Office and other duties as may be assigned. The current Director General, Mr. Juan Somavia was elected to serve as the ninth DirectorGeneral of the ILO by the Governing Body on 23 March 1998. His term of office began on 4 March 1999, when he became the first representative from the Southern hemisphere to head the Organization. Mr. Somavia was re-elected for a second five-year term in March 2003 and for a third term on 18 November 2008. By letter dated 30 September 2011, Mr Juan Somavia informed the Officers of the Governing
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Body that he would advance the date of his departure as Director-General of the ILO to 30 September 2012. The ILO elected Guy Ryder as its tenth Director-General on 28 May 2012. He will begin his five-year term in October 2012.

Let us hold on to what we have and what is invaluable to us and in us. The capacity that we have in the world of work - employers, workers and governments - to sit down, to talk, and to find good solutions. The idea that tripartism is not a conspiracy against good decisionmaking but a pathway to social justice." G. Ryder

ILO Administrative Tribunal The Tribunal examines employment-related complaints from officials of the International Labour Office and of the other international organizations that have recognized its jurisdiction. The Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization is the heir of the Administrative Tribunal of the League of Nations, which was competent from 1927 to 1946 to hear complaints against the Secretariat of the League of Nations and against the International Labour Office. Since 1947 the Tribunal has heard complaints from serving and former officials of the International Labour Office and of the other international organizations that have recognized its jurisdiction. It is currently open to approximately 46,000 international civil servants who are serving or former officials of some sixty organizations. The Tribunal is composed of seven judges who must be of different nationalities, as was the case for the Administrative Tribunal of the League of Nations. They are appointed by the International Labour Conference on a recommendation of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office for a renewable period of 3 years. The Tribunal meets twice a year, in spring and autumn, for a period of 3 weeks, at the headquarters of the ILO in Geneva. At each session it delivers approximately fifty judgments. The Tribunal is serviced by a Registry, comprising a Registrar and a small team of legal
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officers. The Registry's secretariat receives the documents submitted in the course of the proceedings and replies to requests for information.

ILO Centres and Institutes

The ILO is a major resource centre for information, analysis and guidance on the world of work. Research accompanies and reinforces all of the Organizations standard-setting and technical cooperation activities and the ILO is universally regarded as an authoritative source of knowledge on the world of work. Its institutes and Centres are specialized departments of the Organization which provide specialized support for ILOs offices and constituents.

International Institute for Labour Studies

The ILO International Institute for Labour Studies in Geneva promotes policy research and public discussion on emerging issues of concern to the ILO and its constituents labour, business and government. The organizing theme of the Institutes programmes is the notion of decent work. The Institutes programmes seek to contribute to the development of the analytical and empirical foundations of decent work and a broader understanding of the policy instruments necessary to implement it in practice. The Institute provides: International research programmes and networks linking academics with business, labour, and government practitioners, to explore emerging policy issues of potential relevance for the ILO and contribute to policy formulation. Educational programmes to assist trade unions, employers organizations and labour administrations in developing their institutional capacities for research, analysis, and policy formulation in the economic and social fields. The Institute's means of action include research, workshops and seminars, internship programmes, a visiting scholar programme and publications. The Institute's programmes draw upon the ILO's operational experience, its field structure and its unique global databases
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on development policy and social legislation in over 170 countries.

International training centre of the ILO

As skilled human resources are central to the pursuit of decent work, in 1965, the ILO established its training arm in Turin, Italy, to assist countries in their social and economic development through training. Working in close partnership with regional and national training institutions, the Centre contributes to disseminating the ILOs principles and policies, and to strengthening the capacity of national institutions to implement relevant programmes, in line with its strategic objectives. It offers training/learning opportunities and related services to decision makers, managers, practitioners and trainers from governments, workers organizations, employers organizations and their partner institutions. It has partnerships with regional and national training institutions and its services are available to the United Nations system as a whole, including ILO staff. To date, over 90,000 women and men from 170 nations have benefited from its services since it opened in 1965. The annual number of activities exceeds 300 standard courses, customized learning events, comprehensive training projects, advisory services, and training material design and production. Around half the activities take place on-campus and the rest in the field. Besides group training, the Centre organizes, on request, learning programmes for individuals who are placed in public and private institutions and organizations. Increasingly, it uses information technology, including the Internet, to offer distance learning and tutoring services. The Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (OIT/CINTERFOR) The Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (ILO/Cinterfor) is a technical service of the ILO, with the mission of the development of a permanent learning and horizontal cooperation community among the national organizations in charge of vocational training. It works as the core of a system integrated by vocational training-related institutions and organisations belonging to ILO Member States in the world. International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS) CIS is the knowledge management arm of Safe Work of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Its goal is to ensure that workers and everyone concerned with their protection have access to the facts they need to prevent occupational injuries and diseases.
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The network of CIS Centres contributes to the exchange of information among persons responsible for the establishment and implementation of national policies and programmes. CIS continuously monitors world literature on occupational safety and health through its contacts with publishers and with about 150 centres at the national and regional level around the world. In addition to covering up-to-date OSH literature, CIS also provides a basic reference service to its worldwide users by delivering information on conferences and educational opportunities in the OSH field, as well as in maintaining directories of various kinds. CIS was founded in 1959 as a joint endeavour of the ILO, the International Social Security Association (ISSA), the European Coal and Steel Community (one of the predecessors of the European Union) and occupational safety and health institutions in 11 European countries. Very quickly, the CIS network of centres expanded to include members from other continents, and by now it has grown to cover 110 countries all over the world.

How the ILO works

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Tripartism and social dialogue Underlying the ILOs work is the importance of cooperation between governments and employers and workers organizations in fostering social and economic progress. The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and men by bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes. The very structure of the ILO, where workers and employers together have an equal voice with governments in its deliberations, shows social dialogue in action. It ensures that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in ILO labour standards, policies and programmes. The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents and member States by promoting a social dialogue between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and many other issues. The ILO accomplishes its work through three main bodies (The International labour Conference, the Governing body and the Office) which comprise governments', employers' and workers' representatives. The work of the Governing Body and of the Office is aided by tripartite committees covering major industries. It is also supported by committees of experts on such matters as vocational training, management development, occupational safety and health, industrial relations, workers education, and special problems of women and young workers. Regional meetings of the ILO member States are held periodically to examine matters of special interest to the regions concerned.

International Labour Conference

The broad policies of the ILO are set by the International Labour Conference, which meets once a year in June, in Geneva, Switzerland. This annual Conference brings together governments', workers' and employer's delegates of the ILO member States. Often called an international parliament of labour, the Conference establishes and adopts international labour standards and is a forum for discussion of key social and labour questions. It also adopts the Organization's budget and elects the Governing Body. Each member State is represented by a delegation consisting of two government delegates, an employer delegate, a worker delegate, and their respective advisers. Many of the government representatives are cabinet ministers responsible for labour affairs in their own countries. Employer and Worker delegates are nominated in agreement with the most representative
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national organizations of employers and workers. Every delegate has the same rights, and all can express themselves freely and vote as they wish. Worker and employer delegates may sometimes vote against their government's representatives or against each other. This diversity of viewpoints, however, does not prevent decisions being adopted by very large majorities or in some cases even unanimously. Heads of State and prime ministers also take the floor at the Conference. International organizations, both governmental and others, attend as observers.

ILO supervisory system/mechanism

International labour standards are backed by a supervisory system that is unique at the international level and that helps to ensure that countries implement the conventions they ratify. The ILO regularly examines the application of standards in member states and points out areas where they could be better applied. If there are any problems in the application of standards, the ILO seeks to assist countries through social dialogue and technical assistance. The ILO has developed various means of supervising the application of Conventions and Recommendations in law and practice following their adoption by the International Labour Conference and their ratification by States. There are two kinds of supervisory mechanism:

Regular system of supervision

Examination by two ILO bodies of reports on the application in law and practice sent by member States and on observations in this regard sent by workers organizations and employers organizations. 1. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations 2. The International Labour Conferences Tripartite Committee on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations 1. Impact of the regular supervisory system

2. Special procedures

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Unlike the regular system of supervision, the three special procedures listed are based on the submission of a representation or a complaint. 1. Procedure for representations on the application of ratified Conventions. 2. Procedure for complaints over the application of ratified Conventions. 3. Special procedure for complaints regarding freedom of association (Freedom of Association Committee). 4. General Surveys International labour standards are universal instruments adopted by the international community and reflecting common values and principles on work-related issues. While member States can choose whether or not to ratify any conventions, the ILO considers it important to keep track of developments in all countries, whether or not they have ratified them. Member States report at regular intervals on measures they have taken to give effect to any provision of certain conventions or recommendations, and to indicate any obstacles which have prevented or delayed the ratification of a particular convention. The Committee of Experts publishes an in-depth annual General Survey on member States' national law and practice, on a subject chosen by the Governing Body. Technical assistance and training The ILO also provides assistance drafting national legislation and help countries address problems in legislation and practice in compliance with international labour standards.

Governing Body
The Governing Body is the executive body of the International Labour Organization (the Office is the secretariat of the Organization). It meets three times a year, in March, June and November. It takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the Organization for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General. It is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers). Ten of the titular government seats are permanently held by States of chief industrial importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States). The other Government members are elected by the Conference every three years (the last elections were held in June 2008). The Employer and Worker members are elected in their individual capacity. Development Cooperation

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The ILOs technical cooperation programme is one of its principal means of implementing the Decent Work Agenda at a national level.

ILO Experience
Training entrepreneurs in small business administration, strengthening social security systems, assisting in the reintegration of ex-combatants into the national economy, building social dialogue, helping employers organization and trade unions deal with occupational safety and health, setting up cooperatives in rural areas, working with governments to revise labour laws: these are just a few examples of the ILOs vast range of technical cooperation initiatives aimed at addressing development challenges and building bridges between the ILOs standard-setting role and people. With over 50 years of experience in technical cooperation on all continents and at all stages of economic development, the ILO now conducts more than 700 technical cooperation projects in over 80 countries with the help of some 60 donor institutions worldwide. The projects are implemented through close cooperation between recipient countries, constituents, donors, and the ILO, which maintains a network of area and regional offices worldwide.

ILO approach
Rather than providing short term solutions to development challenges, which often fail to address root causes, the ILO takes a sustainable approach to economic and social development. Underpinned by a rights-based agenda, the ILO has a unique advantage in its access to the workplace, workers and business. This makes ILO ideally positioned to 1. empower countries, improve their skills and know-how, better protect incomes and provide social security schemes; 2. formulate policies aimed at increasing productivity, improving access to jobs and reducing vulnerability; 3. eliminate human rights abuses resulting from exploitative forms of employment including child labour and forced labour. ILO actions in these areas have had an impact on millions of people in the workplace and in communities around the world. Through projects funded by donors, the ILO has helped free tens of thousands of forced labourers and children trapped in child labour, and over 1 million workers have received technical assistance on how to address HIV/AIDS in the workplace. Jobs have been created through enterprise development, labour laws have been revised to provide better protection for workers while maintaining competitiveness, and institutions
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have been established to facilitate dialogue between governments, employers and workers and to avoid costly labour disputes.

The Office employs some 2,700 officials from over 150 nations at its headquarters in Geneva, and in around 40 field offices around the world. Among these officials, 900 work in technical cooperation programmes and projects. The Office also contains a research and documentation centre. Programme and budget The Programme and Budget of the Organization which sets out the strategic objectives and expected outcomes for the Organizations work is approved every two years by the International Labour Conference. The Programme and Budget for 2010-11 carries forward the strategic orientation and the results framework set out in the Strategic Policy Framework 2010-15. Centred on the essential priorities of the Decent Work Agenda, it specifies the strategies the ILO will implement to achieve results over the biennium, alongside the capacities and the resources required to deliver those results. The ILOs biennial programme of work is delivered in member States mainly through Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCP). The results and achievements of the ILO are financed through three main funding sources: 1. the Regular Budget; 2. the Regular Budget Supplementary Account; 3. and Extra-Budgetary resources for Technical Cooperation. The close integration of different budgetary resources available to the ILO is central to its strategy to deliver successfully on priorities in countries, regionally and globally through outcome-based work plans.

Strategic Policy framework 1. Planning document The Strategic Policy Framework (SPF) is the ILO's medium-term planning document. It is the expression of the strategic orientation of the Organization, what it aims to achieve and how.
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Strategic Policy Framework 2010-15

Programmes and Budgets 1. Planning document The programme and budget is linked to the Strategic Policy Framework and the priorities identified by constituents through Decent Work Country Programmes and decent work decades or agendas, decisions of the Governing Body and the International Labour Conference, and various other tripartite forums such as regional meetings and meetings of experts. Programme and Budget for the biennium 2012-13

Programme Implementation Report 1. Reporting document This report provides an overview of ILO's performance and programme implementation for a biennium. It provides detailed reporting and analysis under each strategic objective, focussing on the results achieved. ILO programme implementation 2010-11

Management and Evaluation 1. Policy The ILO has introduced results-based management that directs organizational processes, resources, products and services towards the achievement of measurable outcomes. Furthermore, it has reinforced its commitment to transparency, effectiveness and organizational learning by establishing a substantial, effective and independent evaluation function in the ILO. Results-based Management Evaluation policy Accountability and Transparency

The Organization is also present worldwide through its field offices A network of field offices and technical specialists underpins the ILOs work in promoting the Decent Work Agenda as an integral part of regional and national development policies.

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Ongoing and forthcoming meetings and events 2012 1. Training course on child labour and education: Achieving education for all and eliminating child labour 1 - 5 October 2012, ITC-ILO, Turin, Italy Child labour is a barrier to education for all. This course explores policy measures and programmes to remove barriers to education that working children face. It will be of interest to officials responsible for public education policy and planning; representatives of Ministries of Labour, workers representatives; employers representatives and international and national organisations concerned with child labour and education.

2. Employment injury schemes and the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases 8 - 19 October 2012, International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin, Italy The general objective of the course is to strengthen the capacity of employment-injury institutions to improve the coverage and management of occupational accidents and diseases and to promote prevention as a means to occupational safety and health. 3. 11th session of the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART) 8 - 12 October 2012, Geneva, Switzerland 4. Course: Promoting Labour Standards through Corporate Social Responsibility instruments and practices 22 - 26 October 2012, International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO), Turin, Italy 5. Inter-Agency Expert Meeting on Assessing Opportunities for Growth and Inclusion in the Green Economy 29 - 30 October 2012, Turin The ILO organizes the Inter-Agency Expert Meeting in collaboration with the DCED Working Group on Green Growth, UNEP and ITC-ILO. 6. SOLVE training of trainers: Integrating health promotion in occupational safety and health policies 12 - 23 November 2012, International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin, Italy The overall objective of this course is to develop knowledge and skills that will lead to the integration of the psychosocial and health promotion issues into a comprehensive enterprise policy and establish a framework for preventative action. This course will be held in French. 7. ILO course on HIV and AIDS and the World of Work: a prevention & social protection perspective, 12-23 November 2012
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12 - 23 November 2012, Turin, Italy The ILO Training Centre in Turin is organizing a two-week capacity-building course on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, with a prevention and social protection perspective. The course aims to strengthen the capacity of planners and social actors to develop and implement workplace policies and programmes on HIV and AIDS that build on and benefit from the decent work approach, covering rights, prevention, employment issues, social protection aspects and social dialogue. 8. Global Dialogue Forum on Future Needs for Skills and Training in the Oil and Gas Industry 12 - 13 December 2012, Geneva, Switzerland 2013 1. Global Dialogue Forum on the Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on the Civil Aviation Industry 20 - 22 February 2013, Geneva, Switzerland 2. 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians 2 - 11 October 2013, Geneva, Switzerland The 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians has been convened by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to take place on 2-11 October 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference will consider for adoption revised draft standards of labour force and work statistics, including a set of measures of labour underutilization to supplement the unemployment rate. If adopted, the revised statistical standards will update the resolution of statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment adopted by the 13th ICLS (1982), and related guidelines. Research Global Research Agenda The purpose of the ILO Global Research Agenda is to identify policy approaches that help improve employment and social outcomes, support recovery from the global financial crisis and boost sustainable economic growth. It covers four main topics:

employment and the quality of jobs returns on investment in social security inequality, instability and employment international labour standards and socially inclusive globalisation.

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member country) to promote Decent Work Agenda through implementation of Decent Work Country Programme. The Country Office for India is responsible for ILO activities in India.

ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and ILO Country Office for India (DWT/CO-New Delhi) The Decent Work Technical Support Team for South Asia and Country Office for India (DWT/CO-New Delhi) is based in New Delhi. The Decent Work Technical Support Team for South Asia, mainly provides technical support to ILO constituents in countries in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka including Bhutan which is a non-member country) to promote Decent Work Agenda through implementation of Decent Work Country Programme. The Country Office for India is responsible for ILO activities in India.

What's new 1. 'Momentous' new agreement to promote child rights and child protection in South Asia An agreement was signed by Dr Rinchen Chophel, Director General of the SAIEVAC Regional Secretariat and Ms Tine Staermose, Director of ILO Decent Work Support Team (DWT) for South Asia, New Delhi in Kathmandu on Tuesday 28 August 2012. The new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aims to reinforce the two organizations work on child rights and child protection by improving cooperation between them. It will focus on exchanging information and good practices, providing technical advice, organizing consultations, meetings and workshops. The MOU will also support the implementation of SAIEVACs five-year workplan and will use the mechanisms and processes of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). 2. New India-Brazil-South Africa Declaration on South-South cooperation for decent work The Minister of Labour of South Africa, Ms Nelisiwe Mildred Oliphant, the Minister of Labour and Employment of India Mr Mallikarjun Kharge and the Minister of Labour and Employment Mr Brizola Neto signed a joint declarationto reaffirm the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) commitment to South-South cooperation and the Decent Work Agenda. 3. Newsletter Quarterly E-Newsletter The quarterly e-newsletter of the ILO in India contains the latest news from DWT/CO-New Delhi, feature articles on IBSA: South- South Coop. for Decent Work and Public Employment Programmes, youth employment, domestic workers' rights, toward eradicating manual scavenging in India India's challenge: extending basic social security guarantees to all and many more articles. 4. Guy Ryder elected as ILO Director-General
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Guy Ryder was elected as the tenth Director-General of the ILO and will begin his five-year term in October 2012. 5. Austerity hitting jobs in developed economies says ILO Sher Verick from the ILO told the BBC's Asia Business Report that some developing countries have made progress in creating new jobs.

ILO in India
India, a Founding Member of the ILO, has been a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since 1922. The first ILO Office in India started in 1928. The decades of productive partnership between the ILO and its constituents has mutual trust and respect as underlying principles and is grounded in building sustained institutional capacities and strengthening capacities of partners. It has a two-directional focus for socio-economic development: overall strategies and ground-level approaches. The ILO's overarching goal is Decent Work, i.e., promoting opportunities for all women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. DW is at the heart of ILO's strategies for economic and social progress, central to efforts to reduce poverty and a means to achieve equitable, inclusive and sustainable development India's 11th Plan's vision of faster and inclusive growth through a process which yields broad-based benefits and ensures equality of opportunity for all with a strong emphasis on decent working and living conditions for all. A number of India's 11th Plan targets are in consonance with the DW agenda. The DW concept is translated into Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs), prepared and adopted by the tripartite constituents and ILO, at country levels. The DWCP-India (2007-12), aligned to the 11th Plan and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, focuses on 3 priorities. Priority 1: Opportunities enhanced for productive work for women and men, particularly for youth and vulnerable groups, especially through skills development; Priority 2: Social protection progressively extended, particularly in the context of in formalization; Priority 3: Unacceptable forms of work progressively eliminated. The cross-cutting issues are special focus while implementing the DWCP under the three priority areas are: (a) Social dialogue and strengthening of partners;
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(b) Informal economy; and (c) Gender equality.

ILO's current portfolio in India centers around child labour, preventing family indebtedness employment, skills, integrated approaches for local socio-economic development and livelihoods promotion, green jobs, value-addition into national programmes, micro and small enterprises, social security, HIV/AIDS, migration, industrial relations, dealing with the effects of globalization, productivity and competitiveness, etc. The Decent Work Technical Support Team (DWT) for South Asia stationed in New Delhi, through its team of Specialists, provides technical support at policy and operational levels to member States in the sub-region. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. The Constitutions of the ILO was drafted by the labour commission, a body set up by the allied countries during the Paris Peace Conference. The Labour Commission was chaired by the head of the American Federation of Labour and was composed of delegates from nine countries: Belgium, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The ILO is a tripartite organisation with representatives from governments, employers and employees part of the executive bodies. The driving force behind the creation of the ILO was the idea that peace could only really be achieved by social justice. The areas of concern outlined by the ILO are still important today:

Regulation of working hours Regulation of labour supply Protection of workers who are ill or injured due to work Protection of children, adolescents and women Provisions for pension and social security Up-holding the principle that pay should equal the value of the work Up-holding the principle of freedom of association Organization of technical and vocational training to meet labour demands

The objectives of the ILO are: i Promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. ii Generate greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment and income. iii Improve the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all. iv Reinforce tripartism and mediate negotiation, consultation and exchange of information between, the three stakeholders on issues of common interest. The representatives of member countries of the ILO meet once a year in June in Geneva for the International Labour Conference. There are a 183 member states in the ILO. Two government delegates, an employer delegate and a worker delegate represent each Member
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Country. The purpose of the conference is to decide on labour standards, discuss important labour issues as well as elect the governing body. The Governing Body meets three times a year in Geneva and is the executive branch of the ILO. The Governing Body makes proposals on budget, policy and programmes for the conference to adopt. It also elected the DirectorGeneral. The Body consists of elected representatives of all three parties of the ILO. The ILO also has a permanent administrative centre, called the International Labour Office. The Office comes under the supervision of the Governing Body and Director-General. The Director-General is elected for a five-year term. The current Director-General is Juan Somavia. He was elected to his first term as the ninth Director-General of the ILO in 1998. He was re-elected for a second term in 2003 and a third term in 2008. He has held many positions in the UN such as Chairman of the Social Committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The ILO has a number of areas of work:

International Labour Standards: these standards aim at giving equal opportunities of employment to all people in conditions promote safety, security and dignity. Official Meetings: ILO holds meetings not only at the international level but also at the national, state and sectoral level to discuss labour issues affected those areas. Events and Campaigns: are organised to increase awareness and participation of the public in resolving labour issues. Projects: ILO engages in technical cooperation projects to carry forth the objective of providing decent work for people. One of the projects the ILO is engaged in is International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) Training: offers information and training packets to states and employers to improve their skilled human resources for better work. Publications Statistics and Databases

Note on IPEC: The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour was started in 1992 with the overall goal of the ordered elimination of child labour. India was the first country to join it in 1992 when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ILO. To achieve this ILO works to build the capacity of ILO agencies and NGOs to deal with the child labour causes and create programmes for child labourers. It researches intervention methods at the community level which as effective and can be replicated elsewhere. ILO also runs a mass awareness movement to create social mobilisation that aims at elimination of child labour. IPEC currently has projects in 88 countries. It is the biggest single operational programme of the ILO.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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