International Labour Organization appoints US official as deputy head after months‑long delay

April 22, 2026 7:01 PM EDT

By Olivia Le ‌Poidevin and ​Andrea ​Shalal

WASHINGTON/GENEVA April 22 (Reuters) - The International Labour Organization on Wednesday appointed a U.S. ‌official as its deputy head after months ⁠of delays.

Sheng Li, the current principal deputy assistant secretary ‌for policy at the ‌U.S. Department of Labor, will become the deputy director general.

• Li worked at the Labor ​Department during Trump's first term, then at the New Civil Liberties Alliance.

• Former nominee ⁠Nels Nordquist withdrew due to lengthy delays, two diplomats told ​Reuters. Nordquist was traveling and unreachable for comment.

• The U.S. traditionally holds the ​deputy role as the biggest ‌donor, paying 22% of the ILO budget.

• Washington owes the 257 million ⁠Swiss francs ($328 million) as of April 17, according to the organization's website.

• The ILO faces 295 ⁠job cuts due to financial difficulties from U.S. arrears, ​Reuters reported in October.

• A draft State Department budget shows the U.S. proposing $50 million for the ILO in ‌2026, a fraction of total arrears. The State Department did not reply when ‌asked if and when it expected to pay ⁠U.S. arrears.

($1 = 0.7844 ‌Swiss francs)

(Reporting by ​Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Lisa ‌Shumaker)



Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

You May Also Be Interested In





Related Categories

Reuters

Related Entities

Layoffs