Labour rights are human rights and integrating them and international labour standards (ILS) into economic and legal policy frameworks is critical to reducing inequalities and creating an environment conducive to more equitable and inclusive economic development to uphold the 2030 Agenda's pledge to leave no one behind.

Ever since the ILO was created in 1919, its ILS have sought to set forth the aspirations, values and rights that were eventually expressed in the United Nations Charter (1945) and proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): "Faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and determination to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom".

The work of the ILO supervisory bodies and its tripartite machinery provide key information on the application, in law and practice, of ILS, and from their reports it is possible to note cases of progress or challenges in the realization of human rights in the world of work. These mechanisms also have the potential to inform UN development cooperation frameworks and the Common Country Analysis: fundamental tools to guide the UN System work at the national level.

This course aims to delve into International Labour Standards and their linkages with other human rights, offering insights on how to integrate them effectively into UN cooperation frameworks. It also aims to leverage the observations, comments, and reports from ILO supervisory mechanisms in these processes. Furthermore, it endeavors to enhance the capacity of ILO constituents to engage more effectively with United Nations Country Teams and embrace the human rights approach embedded within the 2030 agenda.