The Executive Director and the staff of the Organization
Article 16
1. The Secretariat shall consist of the Executive Director and the staff. 2. The Council shall appoint the Executive Director for a period of not more than the duration of the Agreement and its extensions, if any. The rules for selection of candidates and the terms of appointment of the Executive Director shall be fixed by the Council. 3. The Executive Director shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization and shall be responsible to the Council for the administration and operation of this Agreement in accordance with the decisions of the Council. 4. The staff of the Organization shall be responsible to the Executive Director. 5. The Executive Director shall appoint the staff in accordance with regulations to be established by the Council. In drawing up such regulations, the Council shall have regard to those applying to officials of similar intergovernmental organisations. Staff appointments shall be made insofar as is practicable from exporting and importing Members. 6. Neither the Executive Director nor the staff shall have any financial interest in the cocoa industry, the cocoa trade, cocoa transportation or cocoa publicity. 7. In the performance of their duties, the Executive Director and the staff shall neither seek nor receive instructions from any Member or from any other authority external to the Organization. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to the Organization. Each Member undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the responsibilities of the Executive Director and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities. 8. No information concerning the operation or administration of this Agreement shall be revealed by the Executive Director or the staff of the Organization, except as may be authorised by the Council or as is necessary for the proper discharge of their duties under this Agreement.