Secretary (title)


Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived from the Latin word secernere, "to distinguish" or "to set apart", the passive participle meaning "having been set apart", with the eventual connotation of something private or confidential, as with the English word secret. A secretarius was a person, therefore, overseeing business confidentially, usually for a powerful individual.
The official title of the leader of most communist and socialist political parties is the "General Secretary of the Central Committee" or "First Secretary of the Central Committee". When a communist party is in power, the General Secretary is usually the country's de facto leader, such as China, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba.
In England, the term secretarius was used "from the beginning of the thirteenth century in the varying meanings of a confidential clerk, an ambassador, or a member of the king's council". In the fourteenth century, the title became strongly associated with the keeper of the king's signet. From the Renaissance to the late 19th century, men involved in the daily correspondence and the activities of the powerful assumed the title of secretary. With time, like many titles, the term was applied to more and varied functions, leading to compound titles to specify the authority associated with its use, like general secretary or financial secretary.
In some countries, such as the United States, the term secretary is used to indicate the holder of a cabinet-level post. There are a number of popular variations of the title used to indicate that the secretary in question has a high degree of authority, such as general secretary, first secretary, and executive secretary.
In a club or society, the secretary is also considered to be, in most cases, the third person in charge of the organization, after the president/chairman and vice president/vice chairman. In smaller organizations, the secretary typically takes meeting minutes, notifies members of meetings, contacts various persons in relation to the society, administers the day-to-day activities of the organization, and creates the order of business. The secretary of a non-governmental organization or international non-governmental organization can combine the function with that of vice president/vice chairman.

General secretary

General secretary occurs as the title of a ministerial position of authority found in various organizations, such as trade unions, communist and socialist parties, and international non-governmental organizations. Examples include:
Examples include:

International intergovernmental organizations

OrganizationTitle
Andean Community
African Airlines Association
Arab League
Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
Association of Caribbean States
Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Bureau International des Expositions
Caribbean Community Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community
Collective Security Treaty Organization
Caribbean Tourism Organization
Commonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth Secretary-General is the de facto leader. The secretary-general advises member nations and heads conferences with the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Council of Europe Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Council of the European UnionSecretary-General of the Council of the European Union
EDU - Intergovernmental Organization
EUCLID
European CommissionSecretary-General of the European Commission
European Court of AuditorsSecretary-General of the European Court of Auditors
European Economic and Social CommitteeSecretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee
Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption -
INTERPORTPOLICESecretary General of the INTERPORTPOLICE
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Criminal Police Organization
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
International Maritime Organization
The Permanent Commission for the South Pacific
International Telecommunication Union
Inter-Parliamentary Union
Jeunesses Musicales International
League of Nations Secretary General of the League of Nations
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation The Secretary General of NATO is the chief administrative officer of NATO and supreme commander of NATO forces when mobilized.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Secretary-General of the OECD
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Organization of American States Secretary General of the Organization of American States
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Pacific Islands ForumSecretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Union of South American Nations Secretary General of the UNASUR
United Nations The Secretary-General of the United Nations is described as the chief administrative officer and the de facto head of the United Nations. The Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations hires, terminates, and controls all United Nations staff and relief efforts around the World.
Western European Union Secretary-General of the Western European Union
World Customs Organization

International nongovernmental organizations

Organization
Amnesty International
Anglican Consultative Council
Council of Diaspora Métis
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association

Sports governing bodies

First secretary

First secretary is the title of the chief officer or leader in many organizations, and is also a modern diplomatic rank. Examples include:
Examples include: