Member states of the International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a tripartite specialized agency of the United Nations that sets international standards related to work, has 187 member states, as of August 2022^[update]. Established in 1919 as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the ILO was the first agency to be incorporated into the UN in 1946, is the third oldest pre-existing UN agency, the fourth oldest existing multilateral organization and the only remaining organization with direct links to the League of Nations.^[1][a]

Starting with 42 member states, 29 of these are considered founder members as signatories to the Versailles Treaty, another 13 states, not signatories, were invited to be members and granted status as founder members.^[6]

Following the Second World War and the dissolution of the League of Nations, the ILO became the UN's first specialized agency.^[7] All but one of the ILO's member states (the Cook Islands) are also member states of the United Nations.^[8] However, there are seven UN member states which have not joined the ILO. The ILO's constitution allows admission without membership in the UN, but the conditions to be satisfied in this case are more complex than for a UN member state.

Since establishment, 19 states have withdrawn from membership, although all subsequently rejoined. Two states have indicated an intention to withdraw, but did not complete the process. While the membership rules admit only sovereign states, on three occasions states with non-sovereign status have been admitted, all, however, eventually became sovereign members. Five states have been removed from membership, with all being readmitted. Six formerly-existing states have been members of the ILO, including two which were founding members.

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