International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) sets international labour standards and works to advance social and economic justice. It was founded in 1919 as Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles, on the postwar conviction that lasting peace could only be built on social justice, and began as an agency of the League of Nations. When the League dissolved in 1946, the ILO became the first specialized agency of the new United Nations system, a status distinct from being a UN organ outright: it keeps its own governing bodies, budget and legal personality under an agreement with the UN rather than being folded into UN structure. Its defining feature is tripartism: unlike bodies where only governments sit at the table, ILO decision-making brings together government, employer and worker delegates from each member state, each with an independent voice. The ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969, the year of its fiftieth anniversary, recognized for its work improving conditions and fostering social justice among workers worldwide.