Ex-Togo Premier elected head of ILO

Former Togo Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo has been elected the Director General  International Labour Organization, and will become the first African to lead the UN agency.

After two rounds of voting, the ILO's governing body elected the 60-year-old to succeed British trade unionist Guy Ryder, who stepped down on September after 10 years at the helm

"You have made history," Houngbo told the governing body after the election.

"I am deeply honoured to be the first representative of the African region to be selected to lead the ILO after 103 years."

Mr Houngbo is currently the head of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

He has previously served as UN Development Programme (UNDP) and deputy director-general of ILO itself, from 2013-2017.

He was facing off with former French labour minister Muriel Penicaud, South Korea's ex-foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha, South African entrepreneur Mthunzi Mdwaba, and ILO deputy Greg Vines of Australia.