General Secretary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (June 2008) |
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Secretary General. (Discuss) |
The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions, parties, churches or associations. The most notable usages are the following:
- The official title of the leader of most Communist parties was the General Secretary of the Central Committee. When a Communist party is in power, the General Secretary is the country's de facto leader.
- The term General Secretary often refers to the Secretary-General of an organization such as the Secretary-General of the United Nations or Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Also called the Executive Secretary in the case of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- The General Secretary (or First Secretary) may also be the title used by the head of a political party or group such as the Labour Party (UK) but this usage is most often associated with the leadership of communist political organisations.
- The General Secretary may also be the head of a trade union, particularly in the United Kingdom or another association such as a federation of agriculture or farmer's union or a co-operative.
- The General Secretary may also be the head of a Church or a Church Organization, such as a National Council of Churches or the World Council of Churches.
The General Secretary's office or department is often referred to as the Secretariat.
