The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. It was founded in 1919 and is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles which brought the League of Nations into being. It became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
The ILO formulates international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights: freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour and child labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of work related issues. It provides technical assistance primarily in the fields of:
- employment policy;
- labour administration;
- working conditions;
- management development;
- cooperatives;
- social security;
- labour statistics and occupational safety and health;
- vocational training and vocational rehabilitation.
The ILO promotes the development of independent employers’ and workers’ organizations and provides training and advisory services.
Within the UN system, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs.
The ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (formerly called the ILO Subregional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia; the new name designated in April 2010) has worked in Moscow since 1959. The Office coordinates ILO activities in ten countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The ILO work in the subregion focuses primarily on promoting Decent Work Country Programmes in the subregion; development of social dialogue; social protection; employment development; occupational safety and health; gender equality in the world of work; HIV/AIDS at the workplace; elimination of child labour and other areas
