ILO

ILO Headquarters is established in Geneva.  Offices are located 4 route des Morillons - CH-1211 Genève 22 -Switzerland -

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


ILO Tripartite constituency

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 183 Member States can freely and openly debate and elaborate labour standards and policies.

International Labour Office

The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization, its operational headquarters. Administration and management are decentralized in regional, area, and branch offices in more than 40 countries under the leadership of a Director-General.

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.

ILO Administrative Tribunal

The Administrative Tribunal examines employment-related complaints by 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 60 organizations.

ILO Centres and Institutes

The ILO is universally regarded as an authoritative source of knowledge on the world of work. The Organization has established Institutes and centres that provide specialized research,training and support for the ILO’s offices and constituents.

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 Director-General 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.

Former ILO Directors-General

Director General	Term of Office	Country
Michel Hansenne	1989-1999	Belgium
Francis Blanchard	1974-1989	France
C. Wilfred Jenks	1970-1973	UK
David A. Morse	1948-1970	US
Edward Phelan	1941-1948	Ireland
John G. Winant	1939-1941	US
Harold Butler	1932-1938	UK
Albert Thomas	1919-1932	France