Secretary-General of the Conference of American States

  

Secretary-General of the Conference of American States
Flag of the Conference of American States
Incumbent Johann Hauptsmann since January 1, 2015
American Secretariat
Style	Mr./Ms. Secretary-General
Status	Chief Executive
Member of	American Council American Secretariat
Reports to	American Parliament European Council
Residence	Fauntleroy House
Seat	Seattle, Astoria
Nominator	American Council
Appointer	American Parliament
Term length	Five years, renewable
Constituting instrument	Treaties of the Conference of American States
Formation	January 7, 1967
First holder	Barney Truman
Deputy	Deputy Secretary-General
Salary	KS $150,000 per annum
Website	sectretary-general.cas

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The Secretary-General of the Conference of American States is the head of the American Secretariat and the highest-ranking official in the Conference of American States. As the de facto head of state and head of government, the Secretary-General is the official spokesperson and representative of CAS on the world stage, although the Secretary-General shares status with the President of the American Parliament and the President of the American Council as the American Triumvirate. The American Secretariat is the institution responsible for enforcing CAS law and administering public policy. It comprises the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Secretary, and the College of Commissioners. The Secretary-General and other members of the Secretariat may propose legislation before the American Parliament and set the policy agenda. All legislation reviewed, introduced, and passed by the Parliament requires approval by the Secretariat and Council.

The Secretary-General is nominated by the American Council and formally elected by members of the American Parliament, for a five-year term which may be renewable.

On October 2014, the American Council nominated Johann Hauptsmann to succeed Jefferson Malcolm as the Secretary-General. Hauptsmann was elected by the American Parliament on October 17, 2014. Following certification and approval by the American Parliament, Hauptsmann assumed office on January 5, 2015. In 2020, the American Parliament voted and confirmed a second term for Hauptsmann.

History

The 1967 Treaty of New Hamburg was one of the founding treaties of the Conference of American States. It was the second major treaty after the Treaty of Seattle which developed the CAS's contemporary governing institutions, including the Secretariat. Article 2 of the Treaty of Salt Lake City stipulates that the Secretariat be led by a secretary-general who is charged with administrating the body, enforcing CAS law, proposing and recommending legislation before the American Parliament, overseeing the CAS civil service, and setting the agenda for CAS public policy. The first secretary-general was Barney Truman, whose tenure was marked with cautious exercise and restraint. Truman did not want the post to turn into a supranational head of state, as he feared it would alienate the CAS member states. Truman's administration and his actions became precedent. As secretary-general, Truman worked closely with his deputy and adjunct secretaries, making the Secretariat a more collective, unified voice. Truman also seldom used his veto powers and summarily approved any legislation presented before him. Legislation he and the Secretariat proposed were also sent to the Council for review before being scrutinized and debated by Parliament. Truman's self-restraints on the secretary-general's powers were later codified into CAS law by Parliament in 1974, and upheld by the American Court of Justice.

During the 1980s, the role of the secretary-general gradually strengthened. In 1980, the term of secretary-general was extended from three-year terms to five-year terms, and the secretary-general became an ex officio member of the American Council. Secretary-General Eduardo Huerta became the first secretary-general to deliver a speech before a LN General Assembly meeting as the representative of CAS. Under Secretary-General Hank Ambrose, the secretary-general's power and control over the financial aspects of CAS were increased by Parliament at the expense of the American Council, leading to pushback and disagreement over budgetary control between the Council and the Secretariat.

Appointment

Rules and regulations concerning the appointment of the Secretary-General are defined by Article 10 of the Treaty of Seattle. Further amendments from the Treaty of Grand Llano and Treaty of St. Cloud have modified the original provisions specified in the Article 10 of the Treaty of Seattle. The American Council is responsible for selecting a nominee to the post of the Secretary-General. The nomination must pass by a qualified majority within the American Council before the recommendation is sent for review by the American Parliament. If there is an absolute majority of votes in the American Parliament, the nominee is elected Secretary-General. Following election, the Secretary-General, in conjunction with the American Council, must form a preliminary College of Commissioners, each of whom must come from and represent the CAS member states. All nominees selected for the College of Commissioners must be scrutinized and vetted by Parliament, usually through parliamentary inquiry. The American Parliament may then choose either to vote for the Commission as a whole or choose to accept only certain nominees if a motion to vote on each of the nominees individually passes by a qualified majority vote. If the entire Commission is rejected or a number of nominees are individually rejected, the Secretary-General and the American Council must deliberate and provide alternate candidates for nomination, prior to the Secretary-General and their ministers formally taking office.

Criteria

Number of presidents by member state

State	Presidents
Astoria		3
Kingdom of Sierra		2
Superior		2
Bahamas		1
Dominica		1
Greenland		1
Jamaica		1
Manitoba		1

Article 11 of the Treaty of Seattle delineates the qualifications that a candidate for the Secretary-General must meet in order to be taken into consideration by the American Parliament. The candidate must be at least 35 years of age and must have been a permanent resident or citizen in any of the CAS member states for at least 5 years. Switching permanent residences or citizenships between CAS member states does not affect the year requirement. CAS member states which have been accepted less than 5 years prior to a candidate's nomination are also retroactively grandfathered in for the purposes of the permanent residency or citizenship requirement. The candidate must also be of good moral standing and character and have not been ever convicted of any crime identified by the American Court of Justice as "jeopardizing the trustworthiness of the candidate's integrity". Although there are no legal requirements, by convention, the candidate must also be a member of the largest American political party or a member of a party which belongs to the largest American political party group, as determined by the most recent or latest Parliamentary elections. Further criteria, often set informally within the American Council, have also arisen. There has been a strong preference towards candidates who have have previously been a leading national politician, is fluent in the Conference's three most spoken languages (English, Spanish, and French), and comes from a member state with high levels of integration (such as being a member of the American Economic Area and the Lincoln Area).

Duties and powers

The secretary-general of the Conference of American States is the most senior position in the Conference of American States as the executive head. The secretary-general leads the American Secretariat and is the chief executive officer responsible for enforcing CAS law. The secretary-general is tasked with setting the agenda and direction of the CAS as a whole, and to serve "clear guidance" on policy, politics, and administration. The secretary-general, together with the College of Commissioners who constitute the American Secretariat, have cabinet collective responsibility, although the secretary-general outranks all of the other ministers in both precedence and power. The powers and role associated with the secretary-general is analogous to that of a president in presidential systems.

Privileges, style, and benefits

The Secretary-General of the Conference of American States is the highest-paid CAS official. As of 2023, the salary is fixed at a yearly salary of KS$320,000, which may be adjusted for inflation. Under CAS law, it may not exceed more than 150% of the top civil service grade. In addition to the salary, the Secretary-General is entitled to other forms of compensation and benefits, including a stipend for housing and other allowances such as childcare, household expenses, and healthcare. Security and protection is provided for by the Ameropol's Internal Security Division, which consists of sworn officers recruited from CAS member states' top security forces.

The official manner of address for the Secretary-General is Your Excellency in the second-person or His/Her Excellency in the third-person, followed by "Mr./Mrs./Ms. Secretary-General" in subsequent references.

List of secretaries-general

Groups

•   American Conservative Coalition
•   Americans for Democracy and Liberty
•   Liberal Democrats of America
•   Social Democrats of America

N.	Portrait	President (Born–Died)	State	Took office	Left office	Commission	Party	Group		Electoral mandate
1st		Barney Truman (1901–1980)	Superior	7 January 1966	28 October 1976	Truman	CPS		ACA	1970 1975
				10 years, 295 days
2nd		Douglas Turner (1906–1991)	Kingdom of Sierra	28 October 1976	14 March 1982	Turner	RFP		ACA	1975 1980
				5 years, 137 days
3rd		Luc Clements (1906–1991)	Manitoba	14 March 1982	8 September 1984	Clements	PLM		LDA	1980
				2 years, 178 days
4th		Howard Magnuson (1920–2009)	Astoria	8 September 1984	2 February 1986	Magnuson	NDP		ACA	1985
				1 year, 147 days
5th		Eduardo Huerta (1915–2005)	Kingdom of Sierra	2 February 1986	15 July 1995	Huerta	DRPS		LDA	1985 1990
				9 years, 163 days
6th		Magnus Brodersen (1939–2008)	Greenland	15 July 1995	20 November 1998	Brodersen	Højre		ACA	1995
				3 years, 128 days
7th		Hank Ambrose (born 1951)	Astoria	20 November 1998	13 May 2001	Ambrose	NDP		ACA	1995
				2 years, 174 days
8th		Eddie Sandiford (born 1967)	Dominica	13 May 2001	1 December 2002	Sandiford	DLP		SDA	2000
				1 year, 202 days
9th		Joseph Pratt (born 1953)	Bahamas	1 December 2002	24 May 2006	Pratt	PLP		LDA	2005
				3 years, 205 days
10th		Oswald Cooke (born 1941)	Jamaica	24 May 2006	14 April 2010	Cooke	JLP		SDA	2005
				3 years, 294 days
11th		Jefferson Malcolm (born 1949)	Astoria	14 April 2010	5 January 2015	Malcolm	PLP		LDA	2010
				4 years, 266 days
12th		Johann Hauptsmann (born 1950)	Superior	5 January 2015	Incumbent	Hauptsmann	CDPS		ADL	2015 2020
				9 years, 326 days

Timeline

See also

• Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference of American States
• President of the American Council
• President of the American Parliament