Peru Surprises with Third Candidate to Lead the ILO Hours Before Deadline

Peru has entered a late candidate in the contest to lead the International Labour Organization, presenting former Foreign Minister Javier González-Olaechea just hours before the nomination deadline.

González-Olaechea will compete with Spain’s second deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, and the current director-general, Gilbert Houngbo of Togo, who is seeking re-election. Díaz has promised a fresh direction focused on social justice. Houngbo offers continuity, while González-Olaechea has proposed opening a dialogue with employers and workers to set priorities for a new term.

The election concerns an organisation that has pursued workers’ rights and social protection since its creation in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles. The ILO later became part of the United Nations system in 1946. Its conventions helped establish standards including minimum wages, paid holidays and social security.

The candidates will appear publicly at the ILO’s Geneva headquarters on Sept. 23. They will hold private hearings with members of the governing body on Nov. 9. The governing body, rather than the annual International Labour Conference, will select the director-general.

The governing body has 56 members: 28 government representatives, 14 employer representatives and 14 worker representatives. The winning candidate must secure more than half of the votes cast by members entitled to vote.