International Labour Organization

General information

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations. It was established in 1919 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO has a tripartite structure that is unique within the United Nations system: The 187 member states are represented by governmental members and representatives of workers and of employers.
The ILO is responsible for the formulation and implementation of international labour and social standards, in particular core labour standards, for guaranteeing the social and fair interpretation and implementation of globalisation, and for creating opportunities for decent work, one of the key preconditions for fighting poverty.

Guy Ryder, who was born in Liverpool on 3 January 1956, was elected as ILO Director-General on 1 October 2012. He studied Social and Political Sciences in Cambridge and Liverpool. From 1988 he held various posts in the International Confederation of  Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). Between 1999 and 2002 he was Director of the ILO's Bureau for Workers' Activities, from 2002 to 2006 General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ICTUC), and from 2006 to 2010 he was General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC.

Further information
International Labour Organization website

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