First public statement of ILO Director-General elect Gilbert F. Houngbo

Gilbert F. Houngbo is elected as the new ILO Director-General

Gilbert F. Houngbo has been elected as the eleventh ILO Director-General by the ILO Governing Body on 25 March 2022. The five-year term of the Director-General elect will run from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2027.

Gilbert F. Houngbo, from Togo, is currently President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Gilbert F. Houngbo​ was elected by the ILO’s Governing Body, comprising representatives of governments, workers and employers, during their meeting in Geneva. He will be the 11th Director-General of the ILO, and the first African to hold the post.​

Gilbert Houngbo is a seasoned executive with a track record of more than 35 years in the field of international development. A former Prime Minister of Togo and Deputy Director-General of the ILO, he has high-level leadership experience in government, the United Nations, International Financial Institutions and the private sector. He is a skilled political negotiator and a determined driver of institutional reforms, organizational restructuring, achieving efficiency gains and conducting successful policy reforms.​

The new Director-General’s term will begin on 1 October 2022. The current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from the United Kingdom, has held the office since 2012.

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 a mandate to promote social justice and decent work for all. It has 187 Member States.

Source: ILO Intranet.

Publication of Message No 68

Dear Anciens,

We are pleased to inform you that your documents (Message No68 – request 116686) are ready.

Due to COVID-19 measures internal mail delivery services are suspended until further notice.

E-mail of 12 January 2022 of PRODOC

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Read the online version

Wishes of Guy Ryder, DG, ILO

Director-General: I am confident we will deliver as One ILO

​​In his new year message, Director-General Guy Ryder thanks staff and recognizes the professionalism, creativity and resilience that ensures that the ILO can continue to deliver during an important year ahead.​

Dear colleagues,

I wish you all a Happy New Year.

I hope that you had chance to relax and recharge your batteries safely with family and friends.

A new year traditionally brings hope of renewal and a better future.

Yet for now at least, we start 2022 with the global pandemic situation still very uncertain and unpredictable.

COVID-19 continues to take a significant human toll worldwide – on health, livelihoods, economies, societies and our own daily working lives.

But, we cannot be discouraged.

Throughout the pandemic we have shown that we are able to deliver as one ILO even in the most difficult circumstances. And I thank you all for your hard work and determination in making this happen.

We have to continue to rise to the challenge of remaining relevant and influential as COVID-19 continues to have its far-reaching impact on the world of work. ​

We will start the new year as we concluded last year by informing and influencing the global policy response to the crisis.

On 17 January, the “World Employment and Social Outlook Trends” report will provide the latest labour market analysis on COVID-19’s impact. Later in the year the ninth edition of the ILO Monitor on COVID-19 will also be published.

In February, the ILO will host the Global Policy Forum for a Human-Centred Recovery from COVID-19. This will be a key moment for the multilateral system and will shape how we work together to deliver on the Global Call to Action.

We will be embarking on the plan of work set out in the 2022-23 Programme and Budget. It’s an ambitious agenda to tackle the enormous challenges faced by the world of work. Drawing on our ability to collaborate across countries and regions, adhering to the highest standards, I am confident we will deliver.

Although it is still too soon to say how they will operate, the Governing Body and the International Labour Conference will continue to take important institutional decisions in 2022. The Conference will decide on inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions as a fundamental principle and right at work and maintain its standard-setting function with a first discussion on apprenticeships.

And, meanwhile, the Governing Body will, in March, elect the next Director-General.

These highlights show that the life and work of the ILO will go forward in 2022 just as it has over the last two years.

It will be a busy and challenging time requiring flexibility, creativity, and resilience. But we have shown that we possess all of these qualities.

At the same time, we need to be attentive to our individual and collective well-being. The Organization has a duty of care to you and we have a duty to each other.

This means we must continue to follow strictly all of the COVID-19 protocols at work and in our daily lives.

It also means ensuring a healthy work-life balance whether we are teleworking or working from our offices around the world.

Yes, we must work effectively but we need also to protect our mental, as well as our physical health. Systems of support are available, so please don’t hesitate to speak up and use them if in need.

This will certainly be a year of change for the ILO.

But our commitment to the values of the ILO and service to constituents remain constant and we must live up to it.

We have seen the best of ourselves in these times of adversity. I know that whatever lies ahead, we will approach it with the same professionalism, ingenuity and pragmatism, that we have shown these last two years.

I wish you and your loved ones a successful, happy and much improved 2022, and I very much look forward to seeing you soon, at least virtually.

Thank you for your continued hard work and commitment.

Guy Ryder
Director-General​​​

Return to generalized teleworking at HQ (December 2021)

Following the decisions of the Swiss Federal Council to strengthen COVID-19 related measures announced on 3 December 2021, the Director-General has decided that staff at ILO headquarters should return to generalized teleworking, with the exceptions set out below.

This decision applies from Monday 6 December 2021 until at least 24 January 2022, when the Swiss authorities will further review their measures.

This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure in light of the rapid evolution of the pandemic and the priority that the Office continues to give to ensuring the safety and health of staff.

Exceptions to this requirement to telework shall be colleagues required to:

• service the ILC, Committee of Experts and other scheduled constituent meetings, or
• perform on-site essential services as designated by department heads.

These staff will be informed of the requirement for their presence in the building as soon as possible.

Requests by other staff for exceptional access to the HQ building during this period should be submitted to their department director in accordance with the current procedures.

The arrangements and timing of the return of ILO staff to the office will be subject to the evolution of the pandemic and any further decisions by the local authorities.

In implementing these arrangements it is essential that business continuity and effective functioning of the Office is maintained. Therefore the Director-General will convene a meeting of all heads of department on Monday morning 6 December with a view to determining appropriate managerial arrangements. Further information will be provided to staff following that meeting.

In this context, all staff are expected to continue to work from the duty station unless on leave.

Colleagues who need to come into the building to collect work or personal items are requested to do so early next week, and to only remain in the building for the time necessary to do so.

We urge you all to continue to take care of your own health and that of others around you at all times, and particularly when participating in any end-of-year gatherings.

It follows from the above that no end-of-year gatherings will be permitted to take place in the building, and we urge staff to exercise judgement and respect all appropriate health measures outside the building.

We will update with further information on the situation as soon as it is available.

Greg Vines
DDG/MR

Presentation of the ILO Former Officials Section at the Retirement Preparation Seminar – November 2021

Download the English version

Téléchargez la version française

Communication of the Staff Union Committee – October 2021

Download the Staff Union note – 29-09-2021

Activities Report 2021

Download the Activities Report 2021

ILO Arts Circle Virtual Exhibition 2021

Introduction to the exhibition

The ILO Arts and Decoration Circle has been backed by the ILO Former Officials Section for many years. As well as generating artefacts and items of value, artistic activity also helps foster personal development.

Owing to the pandemic, the organization of exhibitions has been curtailed across the world. With the support of a number of Office departments, the Arts Circle has always staged an annual exhibition in the ILO Colonnades. The Circle hopes the exhibition will return there as soon as possible.

Some Circle members have expressed a wish to present their work in virtual form through the use of new technologies, though aware this can never replace a real exhibition. The format has the added advantage of enabling them to keep in touch with each other. Other members have stressed how difficult it is to be creative in a time of pandemic; we know how they feel.

See shots of Circle members’ creations on this web page.

François Kientzler
President
ILO Arts and Decoration Circle

Update on Pension Administration and Achievemens: Meeting with FAFICS – 16 July 2021

Two presentations in English:

• FAFICS.CEPA.July 2021
• FAFICS-50th.OIM Presentation.16 July 2021