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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 (secretum) 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 (a king, pope, etc.).

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 (though sometimes this leader also holds state-level positions to monopolize power, such as a presidency or premiership in order to constitute de jure leadership of the state), such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba.^[1]

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".^[2] In the fourteenth century, the title became strongly associated with the keeper of the king's signet.^[2] 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 (or, following usage in the Norman language, secretary-general), 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.^[3] 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.^[3]

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:

General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress
General Secretary of the New South Wales Labor Party (Australia)
Some church organizations, such as the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches
General Secretary of the Labour Party

Communist Party

General Secretary or First Secretary is the official title of leaders of most Communist political parties. When a Communist party is the ruling party in a Communist-led one-party state, the General Secretary is typically the country's de facto leader. Examples include:

Secretary-General

Examples include:

International intergovernmental organizations

Organization	Title
Andean Community (CAN)
African Airlines Association (AFRAA)
African Planning Society (APS)
Arab League
Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)	Secretary-General of ASEAN
Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)	Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)
Commonwealth of Nations	The 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 (CITES)
Council of Europe (COE)	Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Council of the European Union	Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
EDU - Intergovernmental Organization (EDU)
EUCLID (university)
European Commission	Secretary-General of the European Commission
European Court of Auditors	Secretary-General of the European Court of Auditors
European Economic and Social Committee	Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee
Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC)
INTERPORTPOLICE	Secretary General of the INTERPORTPOLICE^[4]
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
International Maritime Organization
The Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI)
League of Nations (1919–1946)	Secretary General of the League of Nations
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)	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 (OECD)	Secretary-General of the OECD
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)	Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Organization of American States (OAS)	Secretary General of the Organization of American States
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)	Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Pacific Islands Forum	Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)	Secretary General of the UNASUR
United Nations (UN)	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 (WEU)	Secretary-General of the Western European Union
World Customs Organization (WCO)

International nongovernmental organizations

Organization
Amnesty International (AI)
Anglican Consultative Council (ACC)
Council of Diaspora Métis (CDM)
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association (IAA)
European Medical Students' Association (EMSA)
European Law Students' Association (ELSA)
The European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment
International Alert
International Chamber of Shipping
The International Community of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Ornamental and Fruit Varieties - CIOPORA
International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
International People's Conference Organisation (IPCO)
International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS)
No Peace Without Justice
The Orange Defense Network (ODN)
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
World Organization of the Scout Movement

Sports governing bodies

-	International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

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:

Some consumer organizations, such as the National Consumers League
Some political parties, especially Communist or Socialist Parties
First Secretary of State, a cabinet position in the United Kingdom
First Secretary for Wales, now First Minister of Wales
First Secretary of the Admiralty—see Secretary to the Admiralty
In Workers' Party and Communist Party organizations:
Some trade unions, especially in the United Kingdom
The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace

Executive secretary