1- The Executive Secretary of the Network shall be appointed by the Executive for a period of four years renewable once, and according to the rules and conditions and terms of employment set by the Conference. FAO will assume the Secretariat responsibility during the first four years, renewable for another four years upon request of the governing body of the Network.

2- Under the overall supervision of the President, the Executive Secretary shall take all the necessary actions to implement the decisions of the Conference and the Executive Committee and to manage and to run the day-to-day functions of the Network. Reporting to the Executive Committee, the Executive Secretary shall be responsible for the implementation of the Network program. He/She shall specifically have the following duties and responsibilities

• Organize the General Conference and Executive Committee sessions, prepare the minutes and arrange for the publication, distribution and preservation of the reports and proceedings of all meetings of the Network.
• Organize conferences, workshops, training programmes and any other meeting upon the request of the Executive Committee.
• Prepare the Network’s Program of Work and Budget, propose joint work programmes with other regional and international organizations and ensure coordination of all activities among the Members of the Network.
• Manage the financial affairs of the Network and, in particular, raise funds for the Network activities and receive any other financial contributions to the Network, account for all monies received, make payments in accordance with policies established by the General Conference and the Executive Committee and submit audited accounts to the biennial General Conference.
• Organize the issue of the Network’s Newsletter and provide documentation services to facilitate easy access to necessary data and information on agricultural policies in all member countries of the Network.
• Prepare a system for Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of the Programme of Work and Budget of the Network.
• Undertake any other duties entrusted to him/her by the Executive Committee.

3- In carrying out the above duties and responsibilities, the Executive Secretary shall be assisted by full/part-time staff as may be required.