As provided for in Article 20 of the Treaty, the Secretary performs the following functions:

(a) arranges for and provide administrative support for sessions of the Governing Body and for any subsidiary bodies as may be established, including the preparation of documentation;

(b) assists the Governing Body in carrying out its functions, including the performance of specific tasks that the Governing Body may decide to assign to the Secretariat;

(c) reports on the Secretariat's activities to the Governing Body;

(d) communicates to all Contracting Parties and to the Director-General of the FAO:


(i) decisions of the Governing Body within sixty days of adoption;
(ii) information received from Contracting Parties in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty;


(e) cooperates with other organizations and treaty bodies, including in particular the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in achieving the objectives of the Treaty;

(f) coordinates work related to the International Treaty with relevant FAO departments, and with other relevant organizations, and submits periodic reports to regular sessions of the Governing Body;

(g) manages the human and financial resources of the Secretariat of the Governing Body;

(h) performs such other related duties that the Director-General may assign to the Secretary.