Program Choices

International Labour Organization: 
Geneva, Switzerland

The International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland offers qualified ILR students the unique opportunity to work and study in a truly global environment.  It is our strong conviction that the ILO has unrivalled potential as a partner in the sort of educational collaboration we hope to provide ILR students. 

Founded in 1919, the International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.  It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organizations and provides training and advisory services to those organizations. Within the UN system, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs.

Over the past several years, the ILR Credit Internship Program has successfully placed dozens of ILR students in various departments, programs and offices of the ILO.  We have recently expanded the number of departments and programs with which we work.  A brief description of these programs can be found below.  While not every office is available every semester, students always have a wide range of opportunities from which to choose.

• International Institute for Labour Studies:
  
  

  The International Institute for Labour Studies (IILS) was established by the International Labour Organization in 1960 as a centre for advanced studies in the social and labour field to further a better understanding of labour issues through education and research. It uses research networks, social policy forums, educational activities and publications to open up new perspectives for social policy; develop systematic exchanges between the ILO?s constituents and the external academic communities and practitioners; and familiarize future social policy-makers with the processes of tripartite consultations and policy formulation.
  
  

  The programme of the current biennium has three components: the first analyses the relations between Workers' Rights and Economic Development; the second explores Social Dialogue Processes and Institutions and their impact on the socio-economic performance of selected countries; and the third deals with the search for Sustainable Migration Solutions. In addition, the Institute may be requested to follow up on several conclusions and recommendations of the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. This would involve research consultations and networking activities.
  

• Conditions of Work Branch, Social Protection Sector 
  
  **Working time and work organisation.  Research focuses on comparative international analyses of working time arrangements and trends and the changing organization of work (including implications of technology) at international and firm level in industrial countries and selected developing and transition countries.  Linked to programme on work-family. 
  
  **Reconciling work-family.  Research on implications for men and women workers of national and enterprise-level developments in industrialised countries and selected developing and transition countries.  In addition, surveys are being conducted in selected developing and transition countries.  

          **Maternity protection. Working in partnership with ILO's

          tripartite partners and other concerned groups and 
          organizations, to promote implementation of the new 
          international maternity protection standards and 
          strengthening of maternity protection around the world. 

           **Sexual harrassment, violence and stress at the 
            workplace: Developing practical guides to dealing with 
            these serious workplace problems including 
            enterprise-level policies and programmes.

           **Working conditions of unprotected workers.  Taking 
            into account the many challenges faced by workers in 
            small size enterprises and in the informal sector, we 
            are examining possible approaches to address 
            improvements in working conditions, including the 
            adapting of existing training methodologies ("Higher 
            productivity and a better place to work") 

           **Workers' privacy, especially with regards to the 
           protection of workers' personal data.  Technological 
           developments, testing, etc. make protection of 
           workers privacy a major concern.

• SafeWork:        

          On of the ILO's eight priority areas is the programme 
          on safety, health and the environment, 'SafeWork', the
          objectives of which are to crate worldwide awareness
          of the dimenstions and consequences of work-related
          accidents, injuries and diseases, and to promote basic
          protection for all workers in conformity with 
          international labour standards.

          One of the ILO's eight priority areas is the programme
          on safety, health and the environment, 'SafeWork', the
          objectives of which are to create worldwide awareness 
          of the dimensions and consequences of work-related
          accidents, injuries and diseases, and to promote basic
          protection for all workers in conformity with 
          international labour standards.

          The internship relates to the ILO's involvement in 
          preparing for the "World Forum, Montreal 2002:  
          Drugs, Dependencies and Society--Impact and
          Responses."  It will provide a platform for 
          interactions between approaches, disciplines 
          and domains of activities in the field of addictions. 
          It will cover both illicity and licit drugs (alcohol and 
          tobacco) and other behavioural dependencies,
          such as pathological gambling.

          The ILO has been invited to coordinate the component 
          of the Forum related to the world of work, on which we
          will collaborate closely with our social partners, ie.
          employers' and workers' organizations.  The workplace
          program is expected to comprise a plenary session
          beginning with highlights from a position paper laying
          out the latest developments in terms of emerging
          problems and policy programs to address these issues. 
          It will be followed by reactions from a high-level
          tripartite panel.  The workplace component will then
          lead to a number of panel discussions of key issues
          and poster sessions on "best practices" in workplace 
          programmes.

• Infocus Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour:

        The core of the ILO's International Programme on the 
        Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) work involves the 
        prevention of child labour -- particularly the worst forms 
        as defined under Convention No. 182, the withdrawl
        and rehabilitation of those already in intolerable work 
        situations, and the protection of children above the
        legal minimum working age from hazardous activities. 
        Collaboration with the ILO's tripartite constituents --
        governments and employers' and workers' organizations
        -- is a salient feature in the design and implementation
        of IPEC programmes.  IPEC staff number currently 400 at
        Headquarters and in the field.

• SafeWork, Labour Inspections:
  
  The SafeWork Labour Inspection Unit is responsible
  for the enforcement of inspections by ILO ratifying
  member states under Convention 81.  Technical
  assistance guides for improvements in the field and
  the building of tripartite exchange of information in
  inspections on an international level are the main
  methods of promoting effective monitoring.  There
  are four employees in Labour Inspections, which
  makes for an intimate flow of knowledge.
  
  Most time is spent taking on important, special
  responsibilities for direct use by the supervisor, Mr.
  Albracht.  Some of these duties for our past interns,
  as well as topics for the future are as follows:
  
  RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:  Research for policy
  framework for the establishment of a labour
  inspections system in postwar-Iraq.
  
  STRENGTHENING DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION: 
  Created a Labour Inspection Fact Sheet in order
  to achieve donor funds.  Updated Inspection 10-Step Improvement Plan to reflect changes.  Reorganized
  Labour Inspection Unit web page.  Devised a
  structure for a country information system in the
  field of inspections.
  
  CREATING AN OSH CULTURE:  Drafted reports,
  "Developing an OSH Culture for Postwar Iraq,"
  "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and
  Decent Work in Multinational Enterprises (MNE's)"
  and Iranian country-audit proposal.  Furthered
  support for collaboration between SafeWork and
  InFocus Program on the Elimination of Child Labour
  (IPEC) regarding an Adoption of Guidelines on
  determination of hazardous child labour.  Compiled
  a proposal for changes in the ILO Forestry Guide
  for Labour Inspections.