One of the many agreements to come out of the First ASEAN Summit of ASEAN leaders held in Bali in 1976 was an agreement to set up a secretariat in Jakarta. With the organisation going from strength to strength, and with a view to increasing the efficiency and coordination of ASEAN's projects and activities, the creation of a central administrative body was seen as indispensable. In addition, this agreement also created the position of Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat, to take charge of the secretariat and be responsible for all its functions. Under this Agreement, the Secretary-General would hold his tenure for two years and the position would be rotated between member countries in alphabetical order. He was assisted by a small staff of officers on a secondment basis from their home governments.

Protocol Amending the Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Secretariat (Manila, 1992)

The original agreement to set up the ASEAN Secretariat in 1976 was amended by a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Manila in 1992. The most important change here was to give the Secretary-General of ASEAN ministerial status and extend his tenure of office to five years. The protocol also increased the number of staff working at the Secretariat, giving it more resources to keep up with its ever increasing workload.

Among other things, the Secretary General's task is to "initiate, advise, co-ordinate and implement ASEAN activities". He/She provides the regional perspective on subjects and issues before ASEAN, convenes meetings of officials and experts and is the custodian of all ASEAN documents.

The Secretary General of ASEAN also serves as spokesperson and representative of ASEAN on all matters and coordinates ASEAN dialogues with international organizations and any dialogue country He/She attends all Heads of Government Meetings and is Secretary to all the Meetings of ASEAN Ministers.

The Secretary General of ASEAN is currently assisted by a staff of 38 officers recruited directly from the various ASEAN countries with diverse educational qualifications and experience.