038 April 2021

Social dialogue and tripartism

In all the ILO’s activities the cooperation between governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations is essential to fostering social and economic progress. Dialogue between the government and the two social partners promotes consensus building and democratic participation of key actors in the world of work. The ILO is the only tripartite agency of the United Nations, bringing together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly design labour standards, policies and programmes. Social dialogue can mean negotiation, consultation or simply an exchange of information and views between representatives of governments, employers and workers.