United Nations Secretariat - Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Though ambiguous in description, the UN states that its daily activities are most often carried about the secretariat. But its functions are difficult to define. The UN Charter is not specific about the Secretariat's powers. However it is clear that the Secretariat, and the Secretary-General, are vital parts to the UN. It is in charge of notifications and the arrangement of the meetings of the secretary-general. The Secretariat is also in charge of publishing all of the treaties and international agreements that the UN makes. The role of the Secretariat varies with the agenda of the UN. Sometimes it is required to act as a mediator and other times it is set to administer different peacekeeping operations. This body also has the important job of relating what the UN has accomplished to the different media outlets around the world. Often this can be done through the organizations of international conferences. Another notable job of the Secretariat is their duty of translating speeches and documents into the UN’s official languages. The secretariat is also in charge of approving the salary and allowance for the general service as well as providing advice to different UN agencies. Due to these powers, all the members of the UN are supposed to be impartial. According to author, Ralph Zacklin, the primary function of the Secretariat is to "implement the decisions mandated by the principle organs".