ILO Director-General Guy Ryder took office on 1 October 2012. Guy Ryder sees the ILO as absolutely central to the questions of the day: jobs, social protection, the fight against poverty, and equality. For this reason, he wants to reinforce the ILO's place at the centre of international decision-making on issues that affect the world of work.

The Director-General wants the ILO to play a role in difficult global situations – such as economic crisis – and on the national agendas of countries undergoing change, especially where the world of work is at stake.

To support these goals, Guy Ryder has started a process of internal reform to strengthen the ILO's technical capacity and improve its policy analysis.