Artikel 15

1. The Secretary General:
(i) shall be appointed by the Council to serve a term of three years. At the invitation of the Council, a Secretary General may serve a second term up to a maximum of a further three years;
(ii) shall act impartially and cannot act as a representative of any national, commercial or personal interest in any activity of the Organization. Furthermore, any outside occupation or employment shall be declared to and approved by the Council on the recommendation of the Executive Committee.
2. The responsibilities of the Secretary General include:
(i) reporting to the annual session of the Council and the Chairman of the Executive Committee;
(ii) managing the Secretariat and the Joint Intelligence Office on a daily basis;
(iii) performing technical and administrative functions for the Council and its Committees;
(iv) submitting the budget for the following fiscal year to the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee;
(v) administering the budget and execute financial responsibilities set out in Article 19 of this Agreement;
(vi) submitting the financial report to the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee;
(vii) submitting the report on activities performed to the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee;
(viii) developing projects and acquiring the relevant funding for their sustenance;
(ix) submitting to the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee the work program for the following year and undertaking all actions necessary for the implementation of the work program;
(x) liaising with Member customs administrations, regional and international organizations for the purpose of developing project proposals and structured cooperation based on cooperative arrangements; and
(xi) performing such other duties as may be required by the Council or Executive Committee.
3. If Council decides in accordance with paragraph 2 (xii) of Article 8 of this Agreement to appoint a Deputy Secretary General, paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall apply mutatis mutandis and shall be subject to any further arrangements made to attribute the responsibilities described in paragraph 2 of this Article.