ILO marks centenary with hope for the future

The International Labour Organization was established in 1919 by the Peace Conference, which ended World War I, as an autonomous organization associated with the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations. The aim of the founding members, among them China, was to promote and achieve global peace. They were of the view that peace and prosperity were the two sides of the same coin with no lasting peace possible without shared prosperity. This is reflected in the ILO Constitution which states that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.

Additionally, the founding members were convinced that in order to achieve the double objective of peace and prosperity, international cooperation was essential. It is striking to note how relevant their vision still is today, 100 years later.

The ILO was entrusted with the mandate of promoting social justice, improving the working conditions of the global workforce, and supporting workers' rights and interests through international labor standards negotiated in tripartite cooperation between representatives of employers, workers and governments.