Secretariat of the United Nations

Secretariat of the United Nations
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Name	Secretariat of the United Nations
Caption	United Nations Secretariat Building, New York City
Formation	1945
Headquarters	United Nations Headquarters
Leader title	Secretary‑General
Leader name	António Guterres
Parent organization	United Nations

Secretariat of the United Nations is the executive organ of the United Nations charged with carrying out the day‑to‑day work of the Organization, servicing the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, United Nations Economic and Social Council, and other principal organs. Established by the United Nations Charter in 1945, the Secretariat supports multilateral diplomacy involving actors such as Member state representatives, UNDP officials, and envoys engaged in crises like the Korean War and Suez Crisis. The Secretariat's operations span peacekeeping missions, development initiatives, humanitarian responses to events like the Rwandan genocide and the Syrian civil war, and norm‑setting on issues addressed by conferences such as the Earth Summit.

History

The Secretariat emerged from negotiations at the San Francisco Conference and the drafting of the United Nations Charter alongside bodies like the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Trusteeship Council. Early Secretaries such as Trygve Lie and Dag Hammarskjöld shaped functions during crises including the Korean War and the Suez Crisis, while reforms under U Thant addressed decolonization challenges linked to the Algerian War and the Congo Crisis. The Secretariat expanded during the Cold War era to handle development assistance coordinated with institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and later adapted to post‑Cold War demands exemplified by interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda. High‑profile initiatives under Secretaries‑General such as Boutros Boutros‑Ghali and Kofi Annan led to reports like "An Agenda for Peace" and the Millennium Summit, influencing restructuring efforts and the creation of entities including United Nations Peacekeeping and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Organization and Structure

The Secretariat is headquartered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City with major offices in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna, and field presences in locations such as Dar es Salaam and Port‑au‑Prince. It comprises departments and offices including the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Department of Peace Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Specialized agencies and funds like the UNICEF, UNDP, and World Health Organization interact with the Secretariat while remaining autonomous. Administrative leadership flows from the Secretary‑General to the Under‑Secretary‑General cadre and heads of offices such as the High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Functions and Responsibilities

The Secretariat provides services for multilateral processes including servicing meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, preparing reports mandated by the United Nations Security Council, and implementing resolutions related to conflicts like Kosovo War and Iraq War. It administers United Nations peacekeeping operations, supports election monitoring missions (e.g., in East Timor), coordinates humanitarian responses in disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the Haiti earthquake (2010), and advances development goals echoing the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretariat produces research and policy analysis through offices like the UNITAR and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, while legal advice is provided by the Office of Legal Affairs to bodies engaged in treaties such as the Paris Agreement and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Secretary-General

The Secretary‑General serves as chief administrative officer and a diplomatic figurehead, historically occupying a role between mediation exemplified by Dag Hammarskjöld and advocacy illustrated by Kofi Annan and Ban Ki‑moon. Selection is by the United Nations Security Council recommendation and United Nations General Assembly appointment, with practice shaped by regional rotation and veto dynamics among permanent members like United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France. Notable Secretaries‑General have navigated crises including the Suez Crisis, the Bosnian Genocide, and the Oil for Food Programme controversy, and have advanced reforms such as those following the 1992 report "An Agenda for Peace" and the 2005 World Summit outcomes.

Staff and Personnel

The Secretariat's international civil servants are recruited from Member state delegations and national public services, serving under the UN Charter's expectation of independence from national instructions; staffing interacts with processes like the International Civil Service Commission regulations. Professional categories include Field Service personnel, General Service staff, and senior management at the Under‑Secretary‑General and Assistant Secretary‑General levels, with unions and associations such as the Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations advocating labor standards. Language services accommodate official languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, supporting documentation for missions like MONUSCO and UNMISS.

Budget and Administration

The Secretariat's budgetary authority is subject to approval by the United Nations General Assembly and assessed contributions by Member state budgets, influenced by major contributors such as the United States and Japan. Funding streams cover the regular budget and peacekeeping budgets, the latter reflecting mandates from the United Nations Security Council and expenditures tied to missions in places like South Sudan and Darfur. Administrative oversight involves auditing by the United Nations Board of Auditors and policy from the Committee for Programme and Coordination, with financial management reforms pursued in response to reports from the Independent Audit Advisory Committee and initiatives promoted during the Secretary‑General's reforms.

Criticisms and Reforms

Critics have targeted Secretariat performance over failures such as responses to the Rwandan genocide and allegations around the Oil for Food Programme and Peacekeeping sexual exploitation. Calls for reform have come from actors including the United States Congress, the European Union, and civil society groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, prompting proposals for increased transparency, merit‑based staffing, and accountability measures exemplified by the Brahimi Report and the A/RES/60/1 2005 World Summit Outcome. Reform efforts continue amid debates on Secretariat neutrality, resource allocation, and coordination with entities such as the International Criminal Court and regional organizations like the African Union.

Category:United Nations