ies and draft budget before they are submitted to the Assembly, and supervises the management of the General Secretariat.
This is the permanent administrative and technical body through which Interpol operates. It implements the decisions taken by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee, directs and co-ordinates action designed to combat international crime, centralizes information on crime and criminals, and maintains contact with national and international authorities.
The General Secretariat comprises the Secretary General and the technical and administrative personnel needed to carry out the Organization's work. It is administered by the Secretary General who is appointed by the General Assembly for a five-year term of office. He is answerable to the General Assembly and the Executive Committee for the Organization's general and financial management.
General Secretariat staff are international officials and, as such, must act solely in the interests of the Organization. They may be:
· seconded to the Organization by their national administrations
· detached to the Organization by their national administrations
· under contract, employed by the Organization to carry out tasks that do not come within the scope of police work.
Staffing profile as at December 31st 1999
The figures shown include certain members of staff based away from the General Secretariat but ultimately responsible to the Secretary General.
In keeping with the international nature of the Organization, all Member States are informed of vacancies for positions of responsibility in administrative and technical activities. There is also a duty to achieve, as far as possible, an equitable distribution of the posts among nationals of Member States (Article 17(5) of the Staff Regulations).
The machinery for international police co-operation
One of Interpol's prime objectives is to ensure that its Member Stat...