Secretariat

The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN

staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General
Assembly and the Organization's other principal bodies. The Secretary-General is Chief
Administrative Officer of the Organization, appointed by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term. The Secretary-
General is also a symbol of the Organization's ideals, and an advocate for all the world's
peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable.

UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in duty stations and on
peacekeeping missions all around the world. But serving the cause of peace in a violent world
is a dangerous occupation. Since the founding of the United Nations, hundreds of brave men
and women have given their lives in its service.

https://youtu.be/nN9ARepVDSg

THE SECRETARIAT
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) n. the office or the officials entrusted with
administrative duties, maintaining records, and overseeing or performing secretarial
duties, esp. for an international organization: the secretariat of the United Nations. 2. a
group or department of secretaries.
the office or people responsible for the management of
an organization, especially an international or political one

The secretariat of an organization is the department that fulfils its central

administrative or general secretary duties. The term is especially associated
with governments and intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations, although
some non-governmental organizations (for example, the International Organization for
Standardization[1][2]) also refer to their administrative department as their secretariat. The
building or office complex that houses such a department may also be referred to as its
secretariat or secretariat building.
In some cases, the secretariat is not a bureaucratic organ, but one which includes a certain
organization run by all its members who collectively help to organize the larger group, such
as the secretariat of the International of Anarchist Federations, which is an office that rotates
irregularly between its member federations.
 THE SECRETARIAT OF THE UN
The Secretariat carries out the substantive and administrative work of the United Nations as directed
by the General Assembly, the Security Council and the other organs. At its head is the Secretary-
General, who provides overall administrative guidance. The main functions of the Secretariat are:
 To gather and prepare background information on various issues so that government delegates can
study the facts and make recommendations;
 To help carry out the decisions made by the different organs of the United Nations;
 To organize international conferences;
 To translate speeches and distribute documents into the UN’s official languages;
 To keep the public informed about the work of the United Nations.

As of 30 June 2012, the Secretariat had some 43,000 staff members around the world. As international
civil servants, staff members and the Secretary-General answer to the United Nations alone for their
activities, and take an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any Government or outside
authority. Under the Charter, each Member State undertakes to respect the exclusively international
character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and to refrain from seeking to
influence them improperly in the discharge of their duties.

The United Nations, while headquartered in New York, maintains a significant presence in Addis
Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna, and has offices all over the world.

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security
Council for a period of five years. Equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO, the
Secretary-General is a symbol of United Nations ideals and a spokesman for the interests of the
world's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable among them. The current Secretary-General, and
the eighth occupant of the post, is Mr. Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea, who took office on 1
January 2007 and was appointed to a second term starting 1 January 2012.

The Secretary-General’s functions include:

 Bringing any problem that threatens world peace to the attention of the Security Council;
 Proposing issues to be discussed by the General Assembly or any other organ of the United Nations;
 Acting as a “referee” in disputes between Member States;
 Each Secretary-General also defines his role within the context of his particular time in office.

One of the most vital roles played by the Secretary-General is the use of his "good offices" -- steps
taken publicly and in private, drawing upon his independence, impartiality and integrity, to prevent
international disputes from arising, escalating or spreading. Sometimes, as a result of his mediation,
the problems are solved without ever having to go to the Security Council or the General Assembly, or
before the problem escalate into open conflict.

Previous Secretaries-General

Under the Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the
recommendation of the Security Council. Mr. Ban's predecessors as Secretary-General were: Kofi
Annan (Ghana) who held office from January 1997 to December 2006; Boutros Boutros-Ghali
(Egypt), who held office from January 1992 to December 1996; Javier Pèrez de Cuèllar (Peru), who
served from January 1982 to December 1991; Kurt Waldheim (Austria), who held office from January
1972 to December 1981; U Thant (Burma, now Myanmar), who served from November 1961, when
he was appointed acting Secretary-General (he was formally appointed Secretary-General in
November 1962) to December 1971; Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden), who served from April 1953 until
his death in a plane crash in Africa in September 1961; and Trygve Lie (Norway), who held office
from February 1946 to his resignation in November 1952.

Secretariat, the organ that administers and coordinates the activities of

the United Nations. It is headed by the UN secretary-general. The Secretariat
influences the work of the United Nations to a degree much greater than
indicated in the UN Charter. This influence largely results from the fact that the
Secretariat’s staff is composed of permanent expert officials, rather than political
appointees of member nations. The staff is recruited on a merit basis, with regard
to equitable geographic distribution, and its members are required to take an
oath of loyalty to the United Nations and are not permitted to receive instructions
from their home governments. The Secretariat’s personnel in effect constitute an
international civil service. Among them are translators, clerks, technicians,
administrators, project directors, and negotiators.

The secretary-general is elected by the General Assembly, on the

recommendation of the Security Council, for a renewable five-year term. He must
have the approval of all five permanent members of the Security Council to be
selected to the post; because of this, secretaries-general have usually come from
small, neutral countries. The secretary-general is the chief administrative officer
at all meetings of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and
Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council, and he may carry out any functions
that these organs entrust to him and his staff. He submits an annual report to the
General Assembly on the work of the UN, and he may also bring to the Security
Council’s attention any matter that he deems a threat to international peace and
security. The secretary-general is the chief spokesman for the UN and is that
body’s most visible and authoritative figure in the arena of world affairs. He has
his headquarters at the UN building in New York City.

Cabinet Secretariat of the Philippines

The Cabinet Secretariat (Filipino: Kalihiman ng Gabinete), formerly the Office of the
Cabinet Secretary (Filipino: Tanggapan ng Kalihim ng Gabinete), was a member agency of
the Cabinet of the Philippines which provided support to the President, facilitated the
exchange of information, as well as discussed and resolved issues among Cabinet
members. The Cabinet Secretary also acted as a coordinator and integrator of the initiatives
of the President.[1] The Cabinet Secretariat was created through Executive Order No. 237, s.
1987.[2]

History[edit]
The position of Cabinet Secretary traced its origins to the War Cabinet of the Commonwealth
government-in-exile, when Col. Manuel Nieto was appointed Secretary to the Cabinet by
President Manuel L. Quezon in Asheville, NC.[3] Under President Carlos P. Garcia, a Cabinet
Secretariat was formally established as an attached agency of the Executive Office headed
by the Executive Secretary. Under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, its
responsibilities were transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Following the People Power Revolution, the Cabinet Secretariat was reestablished
through Executive Order No. 237, s. 1987 signed by President Corazon Aquino. It was
renamed as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary by President Benigno Aquino III on October
31, 2012, through Executive Order No. 99. He reinstated the Office of the Cabinet Secretary
as an independent body from the Presidential Management Staff, similar to its original
mandate in 1987. The Cabinet Secretary was given cabinet ranking and staff support. [3]
The office underwent a reform in 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive
Order No. 67, which transferred eight agencies under it to other government agencies and
renamed it back as the Cabinet Secretariat.[4]
On June 30, 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order No. 1, which
abolished the office alongside the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. All powers and
functions will be transferred to the Presidential Management Staff.[5]

Powers and Functions[edit]

According to Section 2 of Executive Order No. 99, the powers and functions of the Office of
the Cabinet Secretary were as follows:[1]
Sec. 2. Powers and Functions
a. Facilitate the identification of a list of priority areas and outcome-based targets in the
Social Contract and PDP 2011-2016, in consultation with the Cabinet Clusters, for final
approval of the President;
b. Recommend to the President an annual detailed and measurable performance and
projects roadmap that will facilitate outputs of the targets against priorities, in close
coordination with the concerned agencies;
c. Ensure the timely execution and monitor the significant impact of the targets under the
annual performance and projects roadmap, and re-align targets when needed;
d. Represent the President in meetings and such other fora in order to expedite inter-agency
action towards the achievement of the targets identified in the performance and projects
roadmap;
e. Assist in providing timely and organized information to the Cabinet on issues and
problems submitted for decision and action; and
f. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and incidental to the attainment of its
objectives or as may be assigned by the President.

Reorganization[edit]
Eight agencies under the Cabinet Secretariat were placed under the jurisdiction of other
agencies when President Rodrigo Duterte reorganized the office. The Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Cooperative Development Authority were
placed under the Department of Trade and Industry; the National Commission on Muslim
Filipinos and the Philippine Commission on Women to the Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG); and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor to
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).[4]

List of Cabinet Secretaries[edit]

Name Term started Term ended President Era
None appointed December 22, June 30, 1992 Corazon Aquino[6] Fifth
1986 Republic
Ma. Leonora
June 30, 1992 June 30, 1998 Fidel V. Ramos[7]
Vasquez-de Jesus
January 20, Joseph Ejercito
None appointed June 30, 1998
2001 Estrada[8]
January 20,
Ricardo Saludo June 30, 2004 Gloria Macapagal
2001
Arroyo[9]
Silvestre H. Bello III June 30, 2004 June 30, 2010
November 5, Benigno S. Aquino
Jose Rene Almendras March 8, 2016
2012 III[10]
October 16,
Leoncio Evasco Jr. June 30, 2016
2018
November 5, Rodrigo Roa
Karlo Nograles June 30, 2022
2018 Duterte[11]
Melvin Matibag March 9,
June 30, 2022
(acting) 2022[12]
Office abolished. All powers and functions transferred to
Ferdinand R.
the Presidential Management Staff by virtue of Executive
Marcos Jr.
Order No. 1, s. 2022.

The Executive Secretariat (S/ES), comprised of the Executive Secretary, four

Deputy Executive Secretaries, and their staff, is responsible for coordination of
the work of the Department internally, serving as the liaison between the
Department’s bureaus and the offices of the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and
Under Secretaries. It also handles the Department’s relations with the White
House, National Security Council, and other Cabinet agencies.

The Secretariat Staff (S/ES-S) partners with the various offices of the Department
to task, track, edit, and review policy memoranda and briefing materials for the
Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, and
Counselor. The S/ES-S Records Division coordinates and substantively reviews
written materials submitted by all Department bureaus and offices for the
attention of the other Department Principals and maintains the Department’s
official historical records and processes of FOIA requests for information
from the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, and
the Counselor. S/ES-S staff also is responsible for advancing the Secretary’s
official trips — domestic and international — by managing the Secretary’s travel
schedule and arranging the run-of-show and logistics for Secretary visits.

The Operations Center (S/ES-O) is the Secretary’s and the Department’s

communications and crisis management center. Working 24 hours a day, the
Operations Center monitors world events, prepares briefings for the Secretary
and other Department principals, and facilitates communication between the
Department and the rest of the world. The Operations Center also coordinates
the Department’s response to crises and supports task forces, monitoring
groups, and other crisis-related activities.

The S/ES Executive Technology (ExecTech) strives to digitally advance diplomacy

by driving the exchange of knowledge and communication through
transformative information technology (IT) solutions. ExecTech supports the
DoS senior leadership, the Executive Secretariat, and other offices under the
administrative umbrella of S/ES. We provide round-the-clock IT and
communications services with outstanding customer service rooted in a
boutique approach to meet the unique needs of the “7th floor.”

The UN’s secretary-general is appointed by the General Assembly upon the

recommendation of the Security Council. As the recommendation must come from the
Security Council, any of the five permanent members of the council can veto a nomination.
Most secretaries-general are compromise candidates from middle powers and have little
prior fame.

The Secretariat is UN's administrative arm, comprised of civil servants responsible for
carrying out the day-to-day operations of the organization. Led by the Secretary-
General, the Secretariat collects and analyzes data, conducts research on a wide range
of economic and social issues, maintains the facilities used by other UN organs, provides
interpreter services, and translates documents into the UN's official languages. The
Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the
Security Council for a 5-year, renewable term. In addition to mediating international
disputes and coordinating peacekeeping activities, the Secretary-General serves as the
public face of the UN and acts as the principal spokesperson for its policy initiatives.