International Organisations

Global engagement to drive the policy agenda

Discussions and decisions that create employment and social policies do not take place in isolation.  There is a network of global and regional organisations and forums where these issues are framed, debated and decided. 

IOE’s objective is to always be present and engage with these organisations to ensure that the voice of business and employers is taken into account throughout the policymaking process and reflected in the outcomes.

The ILO at the foundation

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is at the foundation of many of the IOE’s activities. 

The ILO is the United Nations agency mandated to address employment and social policy issues. Unique within the UN, the ILO has a tripartite structure where governance is shared among governments, workers' organisations and employers' organisations.

IOE is the Secretariat to the Employers' Group  of the ILO. It assists the work of the Group during the Governing Body and International Labour Conference and represents employer interests in the ILO outside these formal sessions, playing a key role in preparatory work for discussion and decision.  In essence, IOE's role is to ensure that the policy interests of employers are reflected in the work, activities, programmes and other outcomes of the ILO.

Multiple forums

Although the ILO is central to the activities of IOE, it is not our exclusive focus.

Just as the topics that affect employers are broad and growing, so are the types of forums where these issues are discussed. The IOE engages with a range of UN agencies and other global and regional organisations that define and shape policies.  Some of these engagements are based on formal mandates; all engagements are based on the IOE’s strong credibility, grounded in its expertise and its global membership network, as a powerful and balanced voice for business.

IOE address

71 Avenue Louis-Casaï
1216 Cointrin
Geneva, Switzerland

T: +41 22 929 00 00
F: +41 22 929 00 01

ioe(at)ioe-emp.com