International Labour Organisation Collected Records

The International Labour Organization was established in Geneva in 1919 at the end of the First World War, during the Peace Conference that convened at Paris and Versailles. Its aim was to promote the welfare of workers. The International Labour Office was set up in 1920 as the permanent Secretariat of the International Labour Organisation. The first director of the ILO was Albert Thomas, a French politician with deep concern for social issues. The first annual International Labour Conference met in Washington in October 1929. In 1946, the ILO became the first agency associated with the United Nations. In 1960, the ILO created the International Institute for Labour Studies at its Geneva headquarters, and the International Training Center in Turin in 1965. The ILO was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969 in honor of its 50th anniversary. The ILO, which is still in existence today, is the "only UN agency with a tripartite structure, where governments, employers' and workers' organizations from 171 member States are represented at all levels. ILO office interiorThe ILO [employs] . . . some 1,900 officials of over 110 nationalities in its Geneva headquarters and 40 field offices worldwide, plus 600 experts engaged in technical co-operation projects. The Office also constitutes a research and documentation centre and a publishing house issuing a broad range of specialized studies and reports. The ILO's priority objectives are the promotion of democracy, the fight against poverty, and the protection of working people, and it is currently focusing on five key themes: international labour standards and the defence of human rights; equality for women; employment promotion and structural adjustment; the rural and informal sectors; and, environment and the world of work" [quote taken from web site: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/about/history.htm.