Positioning decent work and employment in the UN

  • UN/Martine Perret
  • World Bank/Ray Witlin
  • ILO/Gudrun Jevne
  • ILO/Marcel Crozet
  • UN/Logan Abassi
  • World Bank/Wu Zhiyi
  • UN/Albert Gonzalez Farran
  • World Bank/Genti Shkullaku
  • World Bank/Dominic Chavez
  • ILO/Marcel Crozet
  • World Bank/Li Wenyong
  • ILO/Marcel Crozet
  • UN/Isaac Billy
  • ILO
  • World Bank/Dominic Chavez
  • ILO/Marcel Crozet
  • ILO/Lorena Peña
The entire UN system has been called upon to support countries in their efforts to give employment and decent work opportunities to all women and men. To assist members of the UN family with this work, the ILO supports and participates in system-wide coherence and coordinating initiatives. These include the Chief Executive Board, the United Nations Development Group and Regional Coordination Mechanisms.

By playing a leading role in a number of key interagency processes and partnerships and by contributing to the development of "One UN”, the ILO contributes to a more coherent UN. This is in harmony with the ILO's efforts to improve its delivery, human impact and focus at country, regional and global levels. Learn more about the UN and UN reform here.

The ILO is unique in the UN system for its tripartite structure, which means that not only governments, but also workers’ and employers’ representatives are members with decision-making authority.

Other key UN mechanisms for decent work

  1. Closing the SDG Financing gap – the UNSDG Joint Fund for Agenda 2030 (Joint SDG Fund)

    Financial flows do not always reach the geographic areas and people that need them the most. The UN Joint Fund aims to close the financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries through catalytic action by the UN system. Read more here.

  2. © IOM/Francesco Malavolta

    Global Migration Group

    The Global Migration Group (GMG) is an inter-agency group that brings together 15 heads of agencies to promote the wider application of all relevant international and regional migration instruments and norms.The body also encourages more coherent, comprehensive and coordinated approaches to international migration with governments, social partners and stakeholders.


  3. © UN/Mark Garten

    Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality

    The Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) is a network of gender focal points in UN offices, specialized agencies, funds and programmes. By playing a key role in IANGWE, the ILO has helped shape UN agendas and seen a range of programmes launched and monitored. Agencies in IANGWE often look to the ILO for advice on mainstreaming gender in their programmes and action plans.

  4. © IOM/Alan Motus

    Social Protection Interagency Cooperation Board

    The Social Protection Interagency Cooperation Board (SPIC-B) is an inter-agency coordination mechanism comprising representatives from international organizations and bilateral institutions aiming to to enhance global coordination and advocacy on social protection and to coordinate international cooperation in country demand-driven actions.

  5. © ILO/Marcel Crozet

    UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations

    The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) brings together the efforts and resources of 10 UN system organizations in the AIDS response. The UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO) serves as the forum for these co-sponsors to meet on a regular basis to consider matters of major importance to UNAIDS, and to provide input from the different organizations into the policies and strategies of UNAIDS.

    The ILO is the lead agency on HIV workplace policies and programmes and private sector mobilization.