United Nations Secretariat
The
United Nations Secretariat is one of the principal organs of the
United Nations and it is headed by the
United Nations Secretary General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by
United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the
UN Security Council, the
UN General Assembly, the
UN Economic and Social Council, and other U.N. bodies. The
United Nations Charter provides that the staff be chosen by application of the "highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity," with due regard for the importance of recruiting on a wide geographical basis.
The Charter provides that the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any authority other than the UN. Each
UN member country is enjoined to respect the international character of the Secretariat and not seek to influence its staff. The Secretary General alone is responsible for staff selection.
The Secretary General's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organizing international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives. Key Secretariat offices in this area include the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his or her opinion, may threaten international peace and security.
On March 21,
2005, Secretary General
Kofi Annan proposed several reforms for the Secretariat. He announced his intentions to appoint a Scientific Adviser, create a peacebuilding support office, establish a
cabinet-style decision-making mechanism, and strengthen the
mediation function. He also asked the General Assembly to
appropriate funds for a one-time staff buyout; to work with him in revising
budgetary and
human resources rules; to grant the Secretary-General more managerial authority and flexibility; to strengthen the
Office of Internal Oversight Services; and "to review all mandates older than five years to see whether the activities concerned are still genuinely needed or whether the resources assigned to them can be reallocated in response to new and emerging challenges"[
1].
* United Nations Office of the
Secretary-General*
United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services*
United Nations Office of Legal Affairs* United Nations Department of Political Affairs
* United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs
* United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations
*
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs* United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
* United Nations Department of General Assembly and Conference Management
* United Nations Department of Public Information
* United Nations Department of Management
* United Nations Office of the
Iraq Programme
* United Nations Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator
* United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
*
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime* United Nations Office at
Geneva * United Nations Office at
Vienna * United Nations Office at
NairobiMain article: United Nations Secretary-General
*
Trygve Lie,
Norway (
1945-
1953)
*
Dag Hammarskjöld,
Sweden (
1953-
1961)
*
U Thant,
Burma (
1961-
1971)
*
Kurt Waldheim,
Austria (
1972-
1981)
*
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar,
Peru (
1982-
1991)
*
Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
Egypt (
1992-
1996)
*
Kofi Annan,
Ghana (
1997-present)
*
UN General Assembly*
UN Security Council*
UN Economic and Social Council*
UN Trusteeship Council*
International Court of Justice*Annan, Kofi:
Strengthening the United Nations, In Larger Freedom, Mar. 21, 2005.
*
United States Department of State - UN Division*
UN Secretariat Departments*
Who will be the next UN Secretary General?
