The former Prime Minister of Togo and current head of IFAD, Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo was officially appointed Tuesday as the continent’s candidate for the post of next DG of the International Labor Office (ILO).
The continental proposal was acted upon at a meeting of the AU ministerial committee on candidatures within the International System, chaired by Foreign Minister Robert Dussey.
The Togolese candidacy for the 2023-2027 mandate, in particular received the support of the committee of ambassadors of the continent, and of the South African government, whose candidate (Mthunzi Mdwaba) has withdrawn.
The former tenant of the Prime Minister, who has a solid experience of more than three decades in the field of international organizations (UNDP, ILO, IFAD, UN-Water), will be in the running with the candidate from Australia (Greg Vines), France, (Muriel Pénicaud) and South Korea (Kang Kyung-wha).
The election of the next ILO DG is scheduled for March 25, 2022.