The International Labour Organization in a shifting world order: implications for the future of labour law and social protection

Анотація

This article examines the historical role, current challenges, and future prospects of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), established in 1919 and later becoming the first specialised UN agency. Over the past century, the ILO has been central to shaping international labour law, advancing fundamental rights, improving working conditions, and promoting universal social protection through its tripartite model. However, the rise of populist, nationalist, and authoritarian leadership increasingly undermines multilateralism, weakens engagement with the ILO, and erodes global labour standards—especially in developing countries reliant on international oversight. The study highlights a broader crisis of solidarity, in which shared commitment to workers’ rights is replaced by selective, interest-driven cooperation, threatening the ILO’s legitimacy and effectiveness. It also critiques the limitations of voluntary commitments by employers, stressing the need for binding, state-led enforcement of labour standards. Yet the ILO’s reliance on moral authority and consensus-based conventions hampers its ability to secure strong commitments in today’s fragmented geopolitical landscape. Ultimately, the article argues that the ILO faces not only a compliance crisis but also a legitimacy crisis, as the principles of solidarity, cooperation, and universal workers’ rights are challenged in an era of growing isolationism and national exceptionalism.