ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the extent to which the International Labour Organization (ILO) can be understood as a development actor, how its emphasis on development has evolved over time, and how its development agenda has been pursued by means of various strategic initiatives and programs. The core purpose of the ILO's governance structure has been to establish and monitor the observance of a system of international conventions and recommendations approved by two-thirds of delegates at its annual International Labour Conference and designed to protect a wide range of labor rights. The ILO's attempt to reposition itself as an organization able to contribute to a global development agenda is nowhere more evident than in post-authoritarian Southeast Asia. One key plank in the ILO's labor regulation work in Myanmar has been quite traditional, to ensure that the country's regulatory and institutional arrangements meet international expectations with regard to freedom of association and trade union involvement in tripartite mechanisms of policy-making and dispute resolution.
