Level 8 of 10: The UN and global treaty bodies

International Labour Organization (ILO)

The International Labour Organization is the United Nations agency for work and labour standards. The ILO says it is the only tripartite UN agency, bringing together governments, employers and workers of its 187 member states, who each have an equal voice in its decisions. It was created in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles and became a UN specialised agency in 1946. Its annual International Labour Conference sets international labour standards and adopts the biennial budget, a 56-member Governing Body acts as its executive council, and the International Labour Office in Geneva is its permanent secretariat under the Director-General. The ILO supervises how states apply the conventions they ratify, through expert and tripartite committees, and publishes the results in its NORMLEX database.

Who leads it

• Director-General: Gilbert F. Houngbo (since 2022-10) (ilo.org)
• Chairperson of the Government group officers, Governing Body (June 2026 to June 2027): Erica Schouten (Kingdom of the Netherlands) (since 2026-06) (ilo.org)

The UK and the ILO

The UK is an ILO member state and holds one of the ten non-elective government seats on the Governing Body reserved for states of chief industrial importance, according to the ILO.

Key figures

What it decides

• The International Labour Conference adopts international labour conventions and recommendations and sets the ILO's broad policies.
• The Conference approves the ILO's biennial Programme and Budget; the 2026-27 budget was adopted in June 2025.
• The Governing Body is the executive body: it elects the Director-General and proposes the biennial Programme and Budget to the Conference.
• The Governing Body sets the agenda of the Conference and oversees special procedures such as complaints about non-observance of conventions.
• The Committee of Experts and the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards supervise how member states apply ratified conventions.
• The Committee on Freedom of Association examines complaints about alleged violations of freedom of association.
• Under Article 26 of the Constitution a complaint can lead to a Commission of Inquiry into a member state's compliance.

Timeline

• 1919: The ILO is created as part of the Treaty of Versailles. (ilo.org)
• 1926: The Committee of Experts is set up to supervise application of ILO standards. (ilo.org)
• 1946: The ILO becomes a specialised agency of the United Nations. (ilo.org)
• 1969: The ILO wins the Nobel Peace Prize. (ilo.org)
• 1998: The Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work is adopted. (ilo.org)
• 2008: The Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is adopted. (ilo.org)
• 2019: The ILO marks its 100th anniversary. (ilo.org)
• 2022: Gilbert F. Houngbo is elected the 11th Director-General. (ilo.org)

How it is held to account

• The Office of Internal Audit and Oversight reviews risk management, internal controls and governance and gives independent assurance to the Director-General and the Governing Body (ILO accountability page).
• The Evaluation Office oversees evaluation, which the ILO describes as an accountability and organisational learning tool.
• An Independent Oversight Advisory Committee reviews governance, accountability and ethics and reports to the Governing Body.
• The ILO publishes financial and results data to UN and IATI standards, keeps public dashboards, and follows a Public Information Disclosure Policy.
• The ILO follows International Public Sector Accounting Standards and cooperates with the UN Joint Inspection Unit, the independent external oversight body of the UN system.
• The Committee on Accountability and the Vendor Review Committee review alleged fraud and recommend sanctions; an Integrity Hotline takes reports, and disciplinary actions since 2022 are published.

Records you can check

• NORMLEX
  Database of ILO conventions, recommendations, ratifications and supervisory comments by country
• Programme and Budget 2026-27
  The adopted budget, results framework and the Conference resolution
• ILO member states
  The list of the 187 member states
• Governing Body at a glance
  Composition, officers and procedures of the Governing Body
• ILO accountability and transparency
  Audit, evaluation, ethics and disclosure arrangements, dashboards and disciplinary actions
• ILO history
  Dated milestones from 1919 to the present

Common questions

What does the ILO do?

The ILO says it brings together governments, employers and workers to set international labour standards, develop policies and run programmes on decent work. Its standards take the form of conventions and recommendations adopted at the annual International Labour Conference. It also supervises how member states apply the conventions they have ratified.

How many member countries does the ILO have?

The ILO says it has 187 member states, listed on its member states page. The United Kingdom is among them. The ILO states that it brings together the governments, employers and workers of these member states, and the full alphabetical list is available to download from the same page.

Who is the ILO Director-General?

Gilbert F. Houngbo is the ILO's 11th Director-General, according to the ILO. The Governing Body elected him in March 2022 for a five-year term and he took office in October 2022. His predecessors listed on the ILO history page include Guy Ryder and Juan Somavia.

How is the ILO funded?

The ILO says it is funded from three sources: assessed contributions from member states (the regular budget), voluntary core funding through the Regular Budget Supplementary Account, and voluntary contributions from over 140 funding partners. The Conference adopted a 2026-27 regular budget of US$930.5 million in June 2025.

Are ILO conventions legally binding?

A convention binds a member state once that state ratifies it, according to the ILO's description of its supervisory system. The Committee of Experts and the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards then review how it is applied. Recommendations are not open to ratification and give guidance only.

What is tripartism at the ILO?

The ILO calls itself the only tripartite UN agency. Governments, employers' organisations and workers' organisations all take part, and the ILO says this gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments. In the Governing Body, 28 seats are government, 14 employer and 14 worker.

Does the UK have a permanent seat on the ILO Governing Body?

The ILO says ten government seats on the Governing Body are held by states of chief industrial importance and are not subject to election. The United Kingdom is one of them, alongside Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United States.

Other bodies at level 8

• Commonwealth of Nations
• International Court of Justice
• International Criminal Court
• Interpol
• NATO
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council)
• United Nations Children's Fund
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
• United Nations Human Rights Council
• United Nations Security Council
• World Food Programme
• World Health Organization
• World Trade Organization

Sources

• About the ILO, read 23 October 2026
• ILO member states, read 23 October 2026
• Director-General, read 23 October 2026
• ILO Governing Body, read 23 October 2026
• The ILO Governing Body at a glance, read 23 October 2026
• Accountability and transparency, read 23 October 2026
• History of the ILO, read 23 October 2026
• International Labour Conference, read 23 October 2026
• International Labour Standards, read 23 October 2026
• Organizational structure of the International Labour Office, read 23 October 2026
• Programme and Budget 2026-27, read 23 October 2026