Role
The position was created, along with the Secretariat itself, after the fourteenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference in London in 1965, which issued a memorandum describing the role of the Secretary-General:
| “ | Both the Secretary-General and his/her staff should be seen to be the servants of Commonwealth countries collectively. They derive their functions from the authority of Commonwealth Heads of Government; and in the discharge of his/her responsibilities in this connection the Secretary-General should have access to Heads of Government... | ” |
The headquarters of the Secretary-General, as with the Secretariat generally, is Marlborough House, a former royal residence in London, which was placed at the disposal of the Secretariat by Queen Elizabeth II. However, as the building cannot house all of the Secretariat's staff in London, additional space is rented elsewhere in London. From this operational base, a large part of the Secretary-General's work involves travelling around the Commonwealth keeping in personal contact with those at the heart of the governments of member states.
The Secretary-General is responsible for formulating the Commonwealth's four-year Strategic Plan, which outlines the Secretariat's goals, plans, and programmes for the following four years. In coordinating this plan, the Secretary-General is entitled to regular discussion with all Commonwealth Heads of Government. Indeed, in this position of having the ear of every Head of Government, the Secretary-General has been described as "probably the contemporary Commonwealth's major resource".
Read more about this topic: Commonwealth Secretary-General
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