Quality public and private services are essential for rural economic growth. The development of services, including the training of skilled service workers, is a key component of work by the World Bank Group, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other actors in rural areas. The International Labour Organization (ILO), nonetheless, has a unique opportunity to contribute to such efforts by fostering social dialogue at the national and local level around rights, working conditions and professional development of service workers in rural areas, as an integrated human resources approach to rural services. Such efforts can be linked to rural value-chain development, including tourism.