International Labour Organization (ILO), one of the oldest international intergovernmental organizations, was founded in 1919 under the Versailles treaty.
In 1946 the ILO became the first specialized agency of the United Nations. ILO is developing international labor standards in the form of conventions and recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labor rights: freedom of association, right to organize, collective bargaining, prohibition of forced labor, gender equality and so on.
The main strategic objectives of ILO is the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work, creating greater opportunities for women and men in order to provide decent employment and get a proper wage, increase the effectiveness of social protection for all segments of the population, and strengthening tripartism and social dialogue.
The Constitution of the ILO is based on 2 main principles - universality and tripartite representation. Universality means, above all, the possibility of accession of any country that agrees to comply with obligations under the Charter. If this principle is a characteristic of most international organizations, the principle of tripartite representation is peculiar to the ILO. This is the only organization in the UN system, in which representatives of employers and workers - have the same social partners with government representatives a voice in shaping its policies and action plans.
ILO numbers 185 Members States.
Main bodies of the ILO are the International Labour Conference, Governing Body and a permanent Secretariat - International Labour Office (located in Geneva). ILO Director-General is Guy Ryder (UK).
The highest governing body of the ILO is the International Labour Conference, which meets annually in Geneva. The Conference shall develop and adopt international conventions and recommendations, adopt the budget and work program of the Organization elects the Administrative Council of ILO, provides a forum for discussion of current issues in social and labor sphere.
The executive body of the ILO is Governing Body (elected for 3 years) consists of 28 representatives of governments, 14 representatives of employers, 14 representatives of employees. The Governing Council, which meets three times a year, develops the program and budget of the Organization to be submitted to the International Labour Conference.
During its activities the ILO has adopted over 190 Conventions (international agreements that are subject to ratification by the Members) and 202 recommendations. ILO spends annually about $ 130 millions on implementation of certain ILO technical assistance projects in Member Countries.
Currently ILO conducts over 1000 technical cooperation programs in over 80 countries. Priority of technical cooperation is the implementation of decent work program at the national level, reforming labor laws, regulating labor relations and dispute resolution, capacity building of employers and trade unions in collective bargaining.
Activities of the ILO focuses on the following themes: the elimination of child and forced labor, decent work for women and men, economic and social development, elimination of unemployment, equality and discrimination, HIV/AIDS in the workplace, labor legislation, labor migration, social protection , youth employment, safety in the workplace.
Within the ILO regional conferences are held, operate branch committees, dealing with individual sectors. At the ILO International Institute acts of social and labor issues (Geneva) and the International Training Centre (Turin).
Ukraineis a member of ILO since 12.05.1954 and ratified over 60 ILO conventions. At the time of independence, Ukraine has been elected to the Governing Council - for the period 1996-99 and 1999-2002 biennium.
ILO'sDecent Work Agenda has been a key element of government social policy action programs of many organizations, trade unions and employers covered the main areas of the labor market, including employment, eradicating child labor and human trafficking, reform of labor legislation and social security, HIV/AIDS in the workplace, strengthening the culture of preventive health, the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work.
In June 2012 the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine and the International Labour Organization signed new Decent work program in Ukraine for 2012-2015. The main objective of this program is to promote decent work as a factor of productivity and as a key element of social and labor branch of Ukraine. The program defines the main objectives and expected results of joint activities implemented jointly with the ILO tripartite partners of Ukraine.
During the past years in Ukraine about 8 projects were conducted by the ILO in cooperation with UNDP, 2 projects in cooperation with UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and 1 project in cooperation with the IOM.
Since gaining independence Ukraine implemented more than 30 projects and programs of the ILO. Currently, the Decent Work Country Programme for Ukraine covers about 7 projects totaling about $ 10 millions.