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International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
(ILO), a
tripartite Tripartite means composed of or split into three parts, or refers to three parties. Specifically, it may also refer to any of the following: * 3 (number) * Tripartite language * Tripartite motto * Tripartite System in British education * Triparti ...
specialized agency of the United Nations that sets
international standards international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International Org ...
related to work, has 187 member states, . Established in 1919 as a result of the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
, the ILO was the first agency to be incorporated into the UN in 1946, is the third oldest pre-existing UN agency, the fourth oldest existing multilateral organization and the only remaining organization with direct links to the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...
. Starting with 42 member states, 29 of these are considered founder members as signatories to the Versailles Treaty, another 13 states, not signatories, were invited to be members and granted status as founder members. Following the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
and the dissolution of the League of Nations, the ILO became the UN's first specialized agency. All member states of the ILO are also
member states of the United Nations The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. The criteria ...
, however, there are seven UN member states which have not joined the ILO. The ILO's constitution allows admission without membership in the UN, but the conditions to be satisfied in this case are more complex than for a UN member state. Since establishment, 19 states have withdrawn from membership, although all subsequently rejoined. Two states have indicated an intention to withdraw, but did not complete the process. While the membership rules admit only
sovereign states A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined terr ...
, on three occasions states with non-sovereign status have been admitted, all, however, eventually became sovereign members. Five states have been removed from membership, with all being readmitted. Six formerly-existing states have been members of the ILO, including two which were founding members.


Member states

Membership in the ILO is governed by Article 1, clauses 3 and 4, of the organization's constitution. Clause 3 indicates that any UN member state may become a member of the ILO by communicating to the Director-General "formal acceptance of the obligations of the Constitution." Clause 4 allows for membership for non-UN states, but this requires a two-thirds vote by delegates to the International Labour Conference, including two-thirds of government delegates. A "+" and a blue background indicates a founding member; an "*" and a khaki background indicates states invited to be founding members.


Member withdrawals

According to the ILO's constitution, a member state may only withdraw after giving notice of two years and settling all outstanding financial dues; following withdrawal a former member state is still obliged to comply with the ILO conventions the country has ratified. Readmission of a former member state, that has remained a UN member, requires formal communication to the ILO Director-General of acceptance of the obligations of the ILO constitution. A former member state that is not a UN member can only be approved for readmission by a decision of the International Labour Conference. Since 1927, 19 member states have withdrawn from the ILO, all subsequently rejoined.


Incomplete member withdrawals

Two member states have officially communicated an intention to withdraw, but prior to the ILO declaring their membership to have lapsed, subsequently communicated an intention to remain.


States removed from membership

Due to circumstances related to
annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
, five states have been removed from ILO membership; all were later readmitted.


Former non-sovereign state members

The ILO constitution indicates that members must be states (initially, although not exclusively, members of the League of Nations or, after 1945, members of the United Nations), which has been interpreted to imply those entities with
state sovereignty Westphalian sovereignty, or state sovereignty, is a principle in international law that each state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory. The principle underlies the modern international system of sovereign states and is enshrined in the ...
. The basis for this was the 26 August 1930 ruling of the
Permanent Court of International Justice The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...
which determined that Danzig, whose external relations were under Poland's control, was inadmissible to the ILO. Despite this ruling, three non-sovereign states, prior to achieving sovereign status, were, due to political circumstances, admitted as members of the ILO.


Former members

A "+" and blue background indicates an ILO founding member.


UN member states not members of the ILO


UN non-member observer states and the ILO


See also

*
List of specialized agencies of the United Nations United Nations Specialized Agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the co-ordinating machinery of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at the intergovernmental level, and through t ...
*
Member states of the United Nations The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. The criteria ...


References


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Footnotes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{United Nations United Nations-related lists International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...