Candidatures

1. Candidatures for the post of Director-General shall be received in the office of the Governing Body Chairperson on or before a date to be determined by the Governing Body which shall be at least two months prior to the date of the election.

2. In order to be considered these candidatures must be submitted by a member State of the Organization or by a member of the Governing Body.

3. Each candidate shall annex to their candidature a curriculum vitae and a certificate of good health signed by a recognized medical facility.

4. Candidates shall be invited to provide together with their candidature, a statement of no more than 2,000 words describing their vision for the Organization and the strategic direction they would pursue in the event they are appointed. The statement should also address the candidate’s commitment to the values and work of the ILO and its tripartite structure; their experience in economic, social and labour issues, international affairs, leadership and organizational management, and their appreciation of cultural, social and political diversities. Candidates should also indicate their language proficiency with regard to the official languages of the ILO.

5. All of the documents mentioned in 2, 3 and 4 above shall be submitted by the candidates in English, French and Spanish, with the exception of the certificate of good health that can be submitted in only one of these three languages or accompanied by an authentified translation in one of these languages.

6. To be valid, candidatures shall meet the conditions specified in 1, 2, 3 and 5 above.

7. Candidatures submitted in accordance with the abovementioned conditions shall be distributed together with curricula vitae and statements, in the official languages in which they are submitted, to the members of the Governing Body and to the member States not represented on the Governing Body for information, by the Chairperson as soon as practical after the candidature has been received. Only statements received at the same time as the candidatures shall be receivable and distributed.

Fairness and transparency of the appointment process

8. Unethical practices such as promises, favours, gifts, etc., provided by, or in support of, candidates for the post of Director-General are prohibited.

9. Appropriate measures shall be taken by the Director-General to remind the staff of the Office of the rules and standards of conduct aimed at ensuring the Office’s neutrality with respect to the electoral process, as well as the sanctions that can be imposed on staff in the event these rules are not respected. Appropriate measures shall also be taken by the Director-General to prohibit the use of ILO resources for the purposes of campaigning for, or supporting, any candidate and to regulate the conduct of ILO staff presenting as candidates for the appointment as Director-General.

10. On accepting appointment, the candidate appointed to the post of Director-General shall divest of any earning of any income, gift or allowance, and any financial involvement or interest, where such could have an impact on, or could be perceived to have an impact on, the objectivity or independence of the person appointed; furthermore the appointed candidate shall be required to comply with the procedure for financial disclosure laid down in the ILO’s internal rules.

Majority

11. To be elected, a candidate must receive the votes of more than one half of the members of the Governing Body entitled to vote.

Election procedure

12. Hearings shall be conducted with the candidates at a private sitting of the Governing Body held prior to the election. The order of appearance in the hearings shall be drawn randomly by the Governing Body Chairperson and candidates shall be informed of the date and approximate time of their hearing at least one week prior to the hearing. Each candidate shall be heard individually and shall be invited to make a presentation to the Governing Body. Following the presentation the candidate shall receive and respond to questions from the Governing Body. The time allocated to candidates for making their presentation and receiving and responding to questions shall be determined by the Officers. Equal time will be allocated for all candidates.

13. On the date set for the election, as many ballots shall be held as are necessary to determine which of the candidates has obtained the majority required by Rule (11) above.

14. (i) After each ballot the candidate who has obtained the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated.

(ii) If two or more candidates obtain simultaneously the lowest number of votes, they shall be eliminated together.

15. If in the ballot between the remaining candidates they receive the same number of votes and a further ballot still does not produce a majority for one of them, or if one candidate remains but does not obtain the majority required by Rule (11) above in a further ballot in which his or her name is submitted to the Governing Body for a final vote, the Governing Body may postpone the election and freely set a new deadline for the submission of candidatures.