ILO chief race gets Peru ex-minister as challenger

Former Peruvian foreign minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea entered the race to lead the International Labour Organization before nominations closed, leaving the current ILO chief facing two challengers.

The final candidate list showed Tuesday that Gonzalez-Olaechea, 67, joined the contest for director-general before nominations closed at the end of Monday.

Current ILO chief Gilbert Houngbo, a former prime minister of Togo, is running for a second five-year term starting in September 2027. Spain's Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz Perez has also entered the race.

Gonzalez-Olaechea was Peru's foreign minister from November 2023 to September 2024. His curriculum vitae says he was also a senior adviser and spokesman to former UN chief Javier Perez de Cuellar.

The three candidates are due to take part in a public debate on September 23 and appear before the ILO governing body on November 9. The governing body is scheduled to elect the next leader by secret ballot on November 16.

Founded in 1919, the Geneva-based ILO has 187 member states. Governments, employers and workers are represented in its structure, and its mission is to promote workers' rights and improve working conditions.