The former Prime Minister of Togo, Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo was elected on Friday March 25, 222 at the head of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The decision was recorded in the second round of voting carried out by the members of the Board of Directors representing the States and the organizations of employers and employees.
Gilbert Houngbo, 61, officially becomes the 11th DG of the ILO, but above all the first African in this position.
Opposed to three other candidates (the former French Minister of Labor Muriel Pénicaud, the former South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, and the South African Mthunzi Mdwaba), the candidate chosen by Africa in last October obtained 30 votes, against 23 for his first pursuer.
A seasoned senior international civil servant, the Togolese had already worked for the Geneva-based organization between 2013 and 2017 (deputy director) after his time as Prime Minister (2008-2012).
Currently president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Gilbert Houngbo will take up his new duties in October.