Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
A former Prime Minister of Togo, Mr Gilbert Houngbo, has been elected as the new Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
With his election, Mr Houngbo will be the 11th Director-General of the ILO and the first African to hold the post.
The former prime minister succeeds former British trade unionist, Mr Guy Rider, who has been in office for 10 years.
He was a deputy director of ILO between 2013 and 2017 in charge of Field Operations.
Speaking after his election, Mr Houngbo said, “Although my origins are African my perspective is global. In an age, unfortunately of dividedness, my commitment to be a unifying Director-General stands firm.
“I will be the Director-General of nobody and the Director-General of everybody. Governments, Employers and Workers alike, from all regions across the world, can rely on and should rely on my total readiness to represent and advocate the views of all tripartite constituents of the organization.”
“I commit to representing the voices of those who rely on us in ILO. I’m thinking about the four billion people around the world who do not have access to social protection. I’m thinking about the 200-plus million women and men who face unemployment. The 160 million children in child labour. The 1.6 billion people in the informal sector.
“The enterprises, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises that are facing supply chain disruption or closure due to crises’ including the pandemic, climate change and armed conflict. I’m thinking about the women and men who face discrimination, violence and harassment in the workplace and elsewhere. These are all expressions of unacceptable social injustice that we are morally if not legally bound to address,” he added.
His main opponent was former French labour minister, Mr Muriel Pénicaud, who was backed by the French government and the European Union.
Others include – Mr Kang Kyung-wha (Republic of Korea), Mr Mthunzi Mdwaba (South Africa), and Mr Greg Vines (Australia).
The DG will take up his position on October 1, 2022, and will have to face a number of challenges namely associated with teleworking which was given a boost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ILO’s Governing Body is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers). The Employer and Worker members are elected in their individual capacity.
The ILO is the oldest specialized agency of the UN. It was founded in 1919 and has the mandate to promote decent work for all. It has 187 Member States.
