ILO Governing Body will elect its next Director-General by secret ballot at its 358th Session

11 November 2026

The International Labour Organization has announced that its Governing Body will elect the next Director-General of the ILO on 16 November 2026, during the Governing Body's 358th Session at Geneva. The session itself runs from 9 to 19 November 2026. The Governing Body is the executive organ of the ILO and is made up of representatives of governments, of employers and of workers, which is the tripartite structure that marks the organisation out in the UN family. The vote will be taken by secret ballot beginning at 10 in the morning Central European Time. The Director-General-elect is expected to make a statement afterwards, and the result will be announced at an ILO Live event the same day. The person chosen will serve a five-year term that begins on 1 October 2027. Gilbert F. Houngbo is the Director-General in office, and the ILO is headquartered at Geneva.