Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers The Role of National Human Rights Institutions The framework provides non-binding principles and guidelines in eight areas: • decent work for all including migrant workers • international cooperation on labour migration • creation of global knowledge base • effective management of labour migration • protection of human rights of all migrant workers regardless of status • prevention and protection against abusive migration practices • promotion of orderly and equitable process of labour migration • promotion of social integration and inclusion. 3. THE ILO TRIPARTITE STRUCTURE AND ITS SUPERVISORY SYSTEM The ILO is unique among UN agencies in providing a forum for non-government actors to participate as independent social partners in discussing and resolving common issues. The ILO structure consists of three main bodies: • the International Labour Conference • the Governing Body • the International Labour Office. These organs are represented equally by Governments, employer organizations and trade unions in their deliberations and decision-making processes. The International Labour Conference acts like an international parliament of labour and is responsible for setting international labour standards and policies. The Governing Body is the executive arm, while the International Labour Office functions as the secretariat. Each member State of the ILO sends four representatives to the International Labour Conference: two Government delegates, an employer delegate and a worker delegate. Each delegate has equal voting rights.114 The ILO regularly assesses the application of standards in member States and identifies how they could be better applied in law and practice. If there are difficulties in the application of standards, the ILO seeks to engage with, and provide technical assistance to, the countries concerned. The ILO has two kinds of supervisory mechanism: • the regular system of supervision, which involves the “examination of periodic reports submitted by member States on the measures they have taken to implement the provisions of the ratified conventions”115 • special procedures, which includes “a representations procedure and a complaints procedure of general application, together with a special procedure for freedom of association”.116 114 ILO Constitution; article 4. 115 “Applying and promoting international labour standards”; ILO; see: www.ilo.org/global/standards/applying-and-promotinginternational-labour-standards/lang--en/index.htm?lang=en#RegularSupervision. 116 Ibid. 46 | Chapter 4: The International Labour Organization and migrant workers