Gilbert Houngbo

Houngbo was born in rural Togo, the eleventh of eighteen children, and holds an advanced degree in business management from the University of Lomé in Togo. He moved to Canada in 1983 on a graduate scholarship and earned a degree in accounting and finance from the {{Lang|fr|Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières|italic=no}}. Houngbo stated in an interview in 2017 that this period deeply affected him and gave him a "sense of [his] place in the world". He obtained Canadian citizenship and worked at Price Waterhouse Canada, and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.{{cite press release|title=Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, "l'oiseau rare"|trans-title=Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, "the rare bird"|url=http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Politique/Gilbert-Fossoun-Houngbo-l-oiseau-rare|date=2008-09-09|work=République Togolaise website|accessdate=2011-09-01|language=fr}}

On 7 September 2008, President Faure Gnassingbé appointed Houngbo as Prime Minister of Togo; he replaced Komlan Mally, who had resigned two days earlier. His appointment as prime minister was read out in a decree by Kouessan Yovodevi, the Director of National Television.{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20080908-togo-appoints-new-prime-minister-houngbo+ |title=Togo appoints new prime minister |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912045016/http://www.france24.com/en/20080908-togo-appoints-new-prime-minister-houngbo+ |archive-date=2008-09-12 |agency=AFP |date=8 September 2008}} Houngbo took office on 8 September. Houngbo was a relatively obscure figure in Togo before his appointment, which was regarded as surprising. The government said that he was a "man of consensus" who would facilitate national reconciliation. Some observers attributed his appointment to a desire to improve the image of the government; there were suggestions that Mally had appeared ineffectual.John Zodzi, [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20080908133431636C193392 "Togo names new premier"], Reuters, 8 September 2008.

Houngbo travelled to the UN Headquarters in New York on 11 September for a visit to mark his departure from the UN. The same day, he met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who congratulated Houngbo on his achievements at the UNDP.[http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=1&d=3&i=2429 "Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo fait ses adieux au Pnud"]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, République Togolaise website, 12 September 2008 {{in lang|fr}}. In Togo, Houngbo's government was named on 15 September 2008. It included 27 ministers, aside from Houngbo himself: 3 ministers of state (one of whom was Houngbo's predecessor, Komlan Mally), 20 ministers, 2 minister-delegates, and 2 secretaries of state.[http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=1&s=0&d=3&i=2444 "L'équipe autour de Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918004605/http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=1&s=0&d=3&i=2444 |date=2008-09-18 }}, République Togolaise website, 15 September 2008 {{in lang|fr}}. Houngbo presented his general policy programme to the National Assembly on 16 September. Of the 80 deputies who participated in the vote on Houngbo's programme, 50 (representing the ruling Rally of the Togolese People) voted in favor of it; the opposition Union of Forces for Change voted against it, while the opposition Action Committee for Renewal abstained.[http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=1&d=3&i=2453 "Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo préconise une nouvelle politique de l'emploi"]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, République Togolaise website, 16 September 2008 {{in lang|fr}}.

Gnassingbé was re-elected in the March 2010 presidential election and sworn in on 3 May 2010. Houngbo accordingly resigned as Prime Minister on 5 May,[http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/In-English/Togolese-Government-resigns "Togolese government resigns"], République Togolaise website, 6 May 2010. and Gnassingbé re-appointed him as Prime Minister on 7 May.[http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Politique/Houngbo-II "Houngbo II"], République Togolaise website, 7 May 2010 {{in lang|fr}}. His new coalition government was announced on 28 May,[http://republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Politique/31-ministres-dans-la-nouvelle-equipe "31 ministres dans la nouvelle équipe"], République Togolaise website, 28 May 2010 {{in lang|fr}}. which included seven members from the UFC, Togo's main opposition party.[http://republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/In-English/Historic-agreement-between-the-RPT-and-the-UFC "Historic agreement between the RPT and the UFC"], République Togolaise website, 27 May 2010 {{in lang|fr}}.

Houngbo resigned on 11 July 2012,Jean-Claude Abalo, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20120712085607/ "Togo : démission du Premier ministre Gilbert Houngbo et de son gouvernement"], Jeune Afrique, 12 July 2012 {{in lang|fr}}. and was succeeded in office by Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu on 23 July.[http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Politique/Pas-d-autre-solution-que-le-dialogue-et-la-concertation "Pas d’autre solution que le dialogue et la concertation"], République Togolaise website, 23 July 2012 {{in lang|fr}}.

Houngbo was a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Strategic Management Team and was its Director of Finance and Administration before being appointed UNDP Chief of Staff in 2003. He was subsequently appointed United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the UNDP and Director of the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa{{cite press release|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sga967.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General appoints Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo of Togo as Director of UN Development Programme's Bureau for Africa |publisher=United Nations, Secretary-General SG/A/967 BIO/3727 DEV/2559 |date=30 December 2005}} by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan{{cite press release|url=http://www.republicoftogo.com/central.php?o=5&s=1&d=3&i=2398 |title=Le patron du Pnud Afrique nommé Premier ministre |publisher=République Togolaise website |date=7 September 2008 |language=fr}}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on 29 December 2005.{{cite press release|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17063&Cr=development&Cr1=UNDP |title=UN Development Programme names new officials to head 3 regional bureaus |publisher=UN News Centre |date=29 December 2005}}

Following his term as Prime Minister of Togo, Houngbo returned to the United Nations System in 2013 as Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnership at the International Labour Office.[http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_205701.pdf "Report of the Director-General; Sixth Supplementary Report: Appointment of a Deputy Director-General"], International Labour Office, 25 February 2015 {{in lang|fr}}.

In 2017 Houngbo was appointed President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). In 2020 he was also appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to serve on the Advisory Committee for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, chaired by Inger Andersen.[https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/personnel-appointments/2020-06-29/advisory-committee-and-scientific-group-for-the-2021-food-systems-summit] United Nations, press release of June 29, 2020.

On 25 March 2022 Houngbo was elected to succeed Guy Ryder as Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), becoming the first African selected for the position.[https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_840324/lang--en/index.htm ILO, "New Director-General of the International Labour Organization elected", 25 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022. His term began on 1 October 2022. Since 2023, he has been an ex-officio member of the United Nations High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession, co-chaired by Kersti Kaljulaid and Paula-Mae Weekes.[https://press.un.org/en/2023/sga2211.doc.htm United Nations Establishes Teaching Profession High-Level Panel to Build on Outcomes of Transforming Education Summit] United Nations, press release of 19 June 2023.

Houngbo is married and has three children. The two eldest children live in Canada.{{cite news|last=Lyman|first=Eric J.|title=How Canada shaped Gilbert Houngbo's journey from Togo to the UN |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/how-canada-shaped-gilbert-houngbos-journey-from-togo-to-the-un/article37178465/ |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto, Ontario |date=4 December 2017 |access-date=24 June 2020}}

{{Reflist}}

• Faure Gnassingbe
• Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu
• Victoire Tomegah Dogbé
• Komi Selom Klassou
• Cina Lawson

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| title = Director-General of the International Labour Organization

| years = 2022−present

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{{s-ttl|title=Prime Minister of Togo|years=2008–2012}}

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Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:Prime ministers of Togo

Category:United Nations Development Programme officials

Category:University of Lomé alumni

Category:Togolese officials of the United Nations

Category:21st-century Togolese politicians