The organisation was formed in 1934 through the merger of several trade secretariats representing construction and wood industries.
Headquartered in Geneva, the IFBWW worked closely with global labour organisations and held consultative status at the UN. Its governance included a congress every four years, an executive committee, and a management committee overseeing operations.
In December 2005, the IFBWW merged with the World Federation of Building and Wood Workers to form Building and Wood Workers' International.

The organisation was founded in Stockholm in 1993, through a merger between the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) and the International Federation of Free Teachers’ Unions (IFFTU).