The ILO Convention 2000...

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a UN agency whose mandate is to formulate international labour standards and recommendations on basic labour rights. The ILO Maternity Protection Convention 20001 includes:

• provision for 14 weeks of paid maternity leave funded publicly,
• prohibition of dismissal or discrimination on grounds related to pregnancy or nursing
• entitlement to two paid nursing breaks during the workday, and
• facilities for nursing mothers under adequate hygienic conditions in the workplace.

The Convention applies to all working women, including those in the informal sector. The ILO standards protect the health of women and infants and foster equity of access to this protection. Each individual country must ratify the Convention before it becomes legally binding.