The role of the Secretary-General: a personal history.(United Nations Secretaries-General) From: UN Chronicle | Date: March 1, 2007| Author: Gazarian, Jean | COPYRIGHT 2007 United Nations Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Ban Ki-moon has taken the "most impossible job in the world", as Trygve Lie famously said about the role of the Secretary-General. The Charter of the United Nations included the Secretariat among its principal organs, most certainly to grant some political prerogatives to the Secretary-General. According to the Charter, he is "the chief administrative officer of the Organization". It further stipulates that he "may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in ...