What is the ILO Sectoral Activities Programme?

The ILO Sectoral Activities Programme supports the implementation of the ILO’s sectoral Conventions and Recommendations; contributes to the improvement of working conditions at the sectoral level; and provides a rich body of sectoral codes of practice, guidelines, manuals and toolkits that have been translated and widely disseminated. 

These activities include Global Dialogue Forums, Meetings of Experts, Tripartite Meetings and Workshops, and research.

Capacity building of constituents is carried out through specialised training and advisory services to governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations at sectoral level, with an emphasis on the most hazardous sectors (e.g. agriculture, construction, fishing and mining). Training programmes are implemented at regional and national levels based on materials specifically designed to address priority issues, such as the prevention of HIV and AIDS, promotion of occupational safety and health, and enforcement of labour inspection in the sectors listed below.

Why are ILO’s Sectoral Activities relevant to business?

The ILO’s sectoral activities provide a unique occasion for company and employers’ organisations’ representatives to come together with their peers operating in the same sector in other regions of the world, as well as with their worker counterparts with alternative views and priorities. Sectoral activities also provide a forum for employers to formulate and deliver their collective position on a given matter related to their sector.

What is the IOE’s role and position on the ILO’s Sectoral Activities Programme?

The IOE coordinates the employers’ participation in all ILO sectoral activities. The Sectoral Activities Programme provides the ILO with a valuable window on the real world of work as well as fundamental orientation and minimum recommendations that largely meet the expectations of employers.

How does the ILO’s Sectoral Activities Programme advance the agenda for business?

Employers and workers are best placed to shape the world of work in which they operate. ILO sectoral activities provide business representatives with the opportunity to shape the specific workplace conditions in the sectors in which they operate.