Commonwealth Secretariat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating cooperation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM); assisting and advising on policy development; and providing assistance to countries in implementing the decisions and policies of the Commonwealth.^[1]

The Secretariat was established by Heads of Government in 1965, taking over many of the functions of the United Kingdom Government's Commonwealth Relations Office. It is located at Marlborough House in London, the United Kingdom, a former royal palace that was given by Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Secretariat enjoys diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom, where it is located, but has been the subject of a number of lawsuits challenging this, including Mohsin v Commonwealth Secretariat, and in 2005, Sumukan Limited v Commonwealth Secretariat.

It is headed by a Secretary-General, chosen by the Heads of Government for terms of five years. The current Secretary-General is former New Zealand Foreign Minister Don McKinnon, who took office on 1 April 2000.^[2]. McKinnon will be succeeded by former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Kamalesh Sharma on 1 April 2008. The Secretary-General is assisted by two Deputy Secretaries-General: one responsible for economic affairs (currently Ransford Smith of Jamaica) and one for political affairs (Florence Mugasha of Uganda). There are ten Directors from the Commonwealth Secretariat.