ILO supervises application of standards defined by the international labour Conventions and Recommendations. It contributes to the implementation of standards established by other international organizations, notably the United Nations Human Rights Covenants, the European Social Charter, and the European Code of Social Security and Protocol. Assistance is also provided to the European Communities on the provisions needed to draft and implement the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers. An on-line database of ratifications is maintained.
All the Member States except the United Kingdom adopted the Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, commonly known as the Social Charter, in 1989 in the form of a declaration. It is seen as a political instrument containing "moral obligations" whose object is to guarantee that certain social rights are respected in the countries concerned. These primarily relate to the labour market, vocational training, equal opportunities and the working environment. It also contains an explicit request to the Commission to put forward proposals for translating the content of the Social Charter into legislation. The Social Charter has been followed up by social action programmes.