The Secretariat carries
out the day-to-day work of the Organization. It services the other
principal organs and carries out tasks as varied as the issues dealt with by
the UN: administering peacekeeping operations, surveying economic and social
trends, preparing studies on human rights, among others.
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.
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.