INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT

The Secretariat

1. The composition and the manner of formation of the Secretariat are referred to in article 5 par. 2 of the Founding Act as amended at the G.A. of Sophia in June 1996.

2. The Secretariat of the I.A.O. as for that matter stipulated in the Founding Act of the Assembly, article 5 par. 2 subpar. b has its seat in Athens.

3. Candidatures for the position of Secretariat members are submitted by the head of each parliamentary delegation, in which the names of the nominees are also included, who must participate in the specific parliamentary mission of their country participating in the G.A..

4. If, during the Secretariat's term, one of its members loses his parliamentary or senatorial identity, then the President of the national parliament appoints another instead by means of a letter to the General Secretariat and he performs his duties for the remaining term of the state's member he substituted for.

5. The Secretariat constitutes the executive organ of the General Assembly's decisions and the outwards official expression of the I.A.O., while between two General Assemblies it is the supreme organ of political decisions which indeed must always be consistent with the Assembly's declared founding and articles of association principles.

6. The Secretariat's main duties are:

-To implement and execute the decisions of the G.A.

-To plan, decide upon and promote initiatives and actions, such that will serve the Assembly's principles, the decisions of the G.A. and render the Assembly's objectives known throughout the world.

-To plan the agenda, the time schedule and in general whatever concerns the G.A.

-To draw up each year's budget plan and the annual report of the previous one and have them submitted to the G.A. through the treasurer in order for them to be approved.

-To manage the Assembly's finances

-To care for the collection of voluntary contributions of member states of the Assembly and the increase of its revenues through financial aid originating from various sources but which should not bind the Assembly in any way whatsoever and change alter its nature.

-To coordinate the activity of the committees, to inform the Assembly on this and to take the required initiatives in forming new committees.

-To form working groups out of the Assembly's members or even specialists who will facilitate its work.

-To follow, together with the President of the G.A., the action of international organisations, European fora having similar objectives and the European Union's, to cooperate with them and to project the positions of the Assembly.

Apart from these main objectives, it holds all other assigned to it by the G.A., or it personally decides for within the frame of the G.A.'s decisions.

7. The Secretariat is called to convene by the General Secretariat. According to article 6 par. 2 subpar. e of the Assembly's Founding Act, the office of General Secretariat is held by the standing delegate of Greece to the Secretariat. On the day the new Secretariat is elected by the G.A., the head of the Hellenic parliamentary mission to the G.A. announces the name of the standing Greek delegate, who is also the new General Secretary of the Assembly's Secretariat, and his substitute, who is also member of the Hellenic parliamentary mission to the specific G.A..


It constitutes the executive body of the Assembly. It is Directed by the Secretary General, who is a Greek MP.Its headquarters are in Athens. It is made up of 7 members, out of which two, Russia and Greece, are permanent.

Structure of the Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy today: