Editing office - Geneva

Towards social justice

In 2019, the International Labour Organization – the oldest UN specialized agency – celebrates its 100th anniversary. In the run-up to the anniversary, seven Centenary Initiatives are being implemented – part of a package of activities aimed at equipping the Organization to take up successfully the challenges of its social justice mandate in the future.

Shaping a future that works for all 

The world of work has the capacity to consign poverty to history, to provide decent work and living standards universally, and to extend protection from the risks of working life to all. That potential is yet to be realized. The problems of unemployment, underemployment, inequality and injustice are becoming more, not less, acute. There are calls for fairer globalization, for balanced and sustainable development and for economic growth that drives social progress. Action in the world of work is crucial to these objectives. 

At the same time the world of work itself is rapidly evolving. The ILO is equipping itself to understand and respond to the changes in the world of work and to give leadership in the global challenge of ensuring Decent Work for all women and men. In 2013 the Director-General set out the challenges facing the Organization in his report Towards the ILO centenary: Realities, renewal and tripartite commitment , where he presented the following seven centenary initiatives: