ILAB - Office of International Relations (OIR) - International Labor Organization (ILO)

International Labor Organization (ILO)

In today's increasingly globalized economy, the ILO advances the United States' economic and foreign policy interests in several important ways. Through its tripartite efforts to foster employment creation, promote fundamental principles and rights at work and improve working conditions and incomes around the world, the ILO helps ensure that workers everywhere enjoy the benefits of globalization.

The ILO is unique among UN specialized agencies because its tripartite structure provides that employers and workers have an equal voice with governments. Thus, the U.S. is represented by government officials as well as American worker and employer representatives, from the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Council for International Business, respectively. The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs heads the U.S. Government delegation to the ILO, including to the triannual Governing Body meetings and the annual International Labor Conference.

This year's International Labor Conference included a special committee to address the global jobs crisis and the adoption of a resolution on "Recovering from the Crisis: A Global Jobs Pact". The Conference also examined issues related to gender equality in the workplace and HIV/AIDS in the world of work and monitored the implementation of international labor standards. The United States participates in other ILO-sponsored meetings and events throughout the year as well.

The United States has ratified 14 of 188 ILO Conventions, including two of the ILO's core labor standards: No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labor and No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Ratification entails submitting regular reports on implementation of these conventions for review by the ILO's supervisory bodies.

The President's Committee on the ILO is a tripartite federal advisory committee that directs U.S. participation in the ILO. Chaired by the Secretary of Labor, the Committee includes the Secretaries of State and Commerce, the Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs and Economic Policy and representatives of organized labor and the business community.

The President's Committee on the ILO has adopted three ground rules ensuring that no ILO convention will be ratified unless or until U.S. law and practice, at both the federal and state levels, is in full conformity with its provisions. By necessity, the legal review process prior to ratification is complex and lengthy. Even in the absence of formal ratification, the United States has demonstrated on many occasions that its laws and practices meet or exceed virtually every ILO convention and that the law is backed up by enforcement mechanisms.

Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work

In June 1998, the International Labor Conference adopted the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up to promote adherence to the fundamental principles of freedom of association, the effective recognition of the right to bargain collectively, the prohibition of forced labor and child labor and non-discrimination in employment. The Declaration recognizes that all member States of the ILO have an obligation to respect these fundamental principles even if they are not legally bound by ratification to implement the specific ILO conventions dealing with those rights. The two-part Declaration follow-up mechanism holds all member states accountable for these principles through: annual reports from non-ratifying States on their implementation; and a Global Report providing an overview of progress made in both ratifying and non-ratifying countries. This Global Report serves as a basis for an assessment by the annual International Labor Conference that can be used to guide future ILO technical assistance to promote implementation of these principles.

Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization

In June 2008, the ILO adopted the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization. The Declaration reaffirms the important role of the ILO in the context of globalization; emphasizes the interdependent nature of the ILO’s four strategic objectives (promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue); acknowledges that it is up to each member State to determine how it achieves those strategic objectives; recognizes the need for strengthened ILO capacity to assist its members through a variety of means, including cooperation with other international and regional organizations; and provides for follow-up to address the means by which the ILO will assist its member States.