Partnering with the ILO is an investment in social justice for all
Development cooperation builds bridges between the ILO’s standard-setting role and women and men everywhere. It supports the capacities of governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations so as to enable them to put in place effective policies for decent work.
With over 50 years of experience in development cooperation on all continents and at all stages of development, the ILO today has a portfolio of some 770 programmes and projects achieving impact in more than 140 countries. In 2022-23 voluntary funding contributions reached an unprecedented US$ 965.1 million, demonstrating ILO partners’ recognition of the importance of social justice and decent work to address global challenges and bring positive changes to people’s lives.
Governments support the ILO by actively participating in policymaking, funding programmes and projects, and collaborating in partnership initiatives. Governments contribute to different funding modalities: non-core voluntary funding, earmarked for programmes and projects; core-voluntary funding that is unearmarked and through domestic trust funds, for ILO assistance in the country providing the funds.
The European Union (EU) is a key partner for the ILO. Also, other intergovernmental organizations (OIGOs) have a great potential in leveraging policy coherence. Contributions of the EU and other OIGOs’ allow the ILO to test policies and demonstrate what works on the ground.
In cooperation with its UN partners, the ILO supports system-wide coherence through participation in several key mechanisms at different levels. The ILO also participates in Joint UN Programmes and manages allocations from global and country multi-partner trust funds (MPTFs). In 2022-23 the UN stood as the sixth-largest contributor to the ILO’s development cooperation programmes and projects.
South-South cooperation refers to development cooperation between developing countries in the Global South. When South-South Cooperation is implemented with the support of a Northern partner, it is referred to as Triangular Cooperation. South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is a tool used by governments, international organizations, academics, social partners, civil society and the private sector to collaborate and share knowledge, skills, know-how, and good practices in decent work.
As the UN’s sole agency where employers and workers work alongside governments to advance the decent work agenda, private sector and non-state partners play a vital role in achieving the ILO’s mission. In a dynamic global landscape, the private sector’s contributions to the ILO extend beyond traditional support, embracing innovation, entrepreneurship, and tailored solutions.
The ILO has diverse partnership modalities with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) for the provision of technical assistance to Member States, or through grants from thematic trust funds, support facilities or challenge funds. ILO’s expertise in the area of social safeguards, especially in the field of fundamental principles and rights at work, also remains a growth area for partnerships with IFIs and development banks, as well as for domestic funding.
The ILO engages with international non-governmental organizations, organizations of parliamentarians and regional authorities, as well as with faith-based organizations to support policy setting and legislative reform. Such partnerships strengthen participatory approaches, including in development cooperation programmes and projects.
The ILO is engaged in or associated with a wide range of multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) at the global, regional, and national levels in almost all policy areas: Employment, Social Protection, Child and Forced Labour, Migration, Social Finance, Skills, Occupational Health and Safety, Just Transition, Gender and non-discrimination.
If you have funding questions, ideas for partnerships, or development projects, the ILO is interested in hearing from you. Contact us directly to [email protected]
