Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs

The Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs (LA) is a central service reporting directly to the Director-General. The responsibilities of the Office are:

• to provide legal advice to the General Conference, the Executive Board and various meetings convened by UNESCO and to all the intergovernmental bodies established by the General Conference and the Executive Board and those established for the implementation of the conventions;
  
  
• to answer legal questions arising for the Organization and concerning its Constitution, statutory texts and regulations, its privileges and immunities; the conclusion and application of agreements with Member States or other organizations and of contracts to which the Organization is a party;
  
  
• to represent the Organization before the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization and other courts;
  
  
• to assist in the drawing up and application of international standard-setting instruments and to exercise depository functions of the Director-General in relation to international treaties;
  
  
• to serve as the secretariat of the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations of the Executive Board and of the Credentials Committee and the Legal Committee of the General Conference.