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 organs.
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. 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.
The Secretariat — an international staff
working in duty stations around the world — carries out the diverse day-to-day
work of the Organization. It services the other principal organs of the United
Nations and administers the programmes and policies laid down by them. At its
head is the Secretary-General, who is appointed by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term.
The duties carried out by the Secretariat are
as varied as the problems dealt with by the United Nations. These range from
administering peacekeeping operations to mediating international disputes, from
surveying economic and social trends and problems to preparing studies on human
rights and sustainable development. Secretariat staff also inform the world's
communications media about the work of the United Nations; organize
international conferences on issues of worldwide concern; and interpret
speeches and translate documents into the Organization's official languages.
The Secretariat has around 43,000 staff
members around the world (source: Secretary-General's report A/67/329).
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 UN currently has 16 peace operations,
deployed on four continents. 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.
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