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The titlesecretary of state orstate's secretary[note 1] is commonly used for senior or mid-level posts ingovernments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiplesecretaries of state in the country's system of governing the country.
In many countries, a secretary of state is a senior or mid-level post. It is usually a politically appointed position, although in some countries, such asGermany andSweden, it can be filled by a member of the executive bureaucracy (civil service) as a political appointment (equivalent topermanent secretary). In theHoly See, the administrative body of theCatholic Church, thecardinal secretary of state coordinates all the departments of theRoman Curia (and is in that respect equivalent to aprime minister).
TheUnited States secretary of state is theforeign minister of thefederal government of the United States while in most of the individualU.S. states thesecretary of state is an administrative officer responsible for certain governmental functions, often including overseeing elections, tasks which would be exercised byinterior ministers orsecretaries in most other nations.
The term secretary of stateoriginated in early 17th century England.
In theOrange Free State (1854–1902) the Secretary of State was the original title of the main administrative officer of the State, who worked closely with both theState President as head of state and head of government, and his cabinet, and with theVolksraad, the parliament of theOrange Free State. The title of State Secretary was replaced by that of Government Secretary soon after the formation of the state apparatus and was thereafter never used again.
The organization of the governments ofAngola,Cape Verde,Guinea-Bissau,Mozambique andSão Tome and Príncipe closely mirrors thePortuguese government model. Thus, in these countries, a Secretary of State (Portuguese:secretário de Estado) is a junior minister, subordinate to a cabinet minister. Usually, the secretaries of State do not participate in the council of ministers.
In Mozambique, the role of vice-minister (Portuguese:vice-ministro) exists as an intermediate government rank between those of minister and Secretary of State. The role of vice-minister also exists in the Government of Angola, but it is junior to that of Secretary of State.
In theSouth African Republic the Secretary of State was the main administrative officer of the State, working closely with both theState President as head of state and head of government, and the parliament of theSouth African Republic.
InLiberia, from 1847 until 1972, the Secretary of State was the head of the Department of State and the chief foreign policy officer of the republic, responsible for conducting diplomacy and implementing the nation's foreign affairs. The title was abolished in 1972 and replaced with the new nomenclature,Minister of Foreign Affairs. Throughout most of Liberia's history, holders of that office usually went on to become president.
The Secretary of State (Secretario de Estado) inArgentina (federal government) is a high official with the same rank of a Minister, who is responsible directly to the President. The position must be distinguished from a "Secretary", a lower position, responsible to a Minister.
The official responsible for foreign policy is called Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores) or "Chancellor" (Canciller).
InBrazil, a Secretary of State (Portuguese:secretário de Estado orsecretário estadual) – commonly referred simply as "Secretary" (Portuguese:secretário) is one of the government members of each of theBrazilian states, subordinate to the respectiveState Governor. At state level, the Brazilian secretaries of State have functions similar to those of the Ministers of theFederal Government.
At federal level, the officer responsible for foreign affairs, a position equivalent to that of the United States Secretary of State, is theMinister of Foreign Affairs.
TheCanadian Cabinet used to have a Secretary of State for External Affairs who acted as the country'sForeign Minister, but this position was abolished in 1993 and a new position ofMinister of Foreign Affairs was created. From 1867 to 1993, there was also aSecretary of State for Canada who was a Cabinet minister whose duties varied over time but who was responsible for the Department of Secretary of State until the position was abolished. Since 1993, some junior ministers have been styledSecretary of State, and assigned in specific policy areas to assist Cabinet ministers. However, these junior ministers are not themselves members of Cabinet. A similar role is played byMinisters of State, however Ministers are members of the cabinet.
InMexico a secretary of state is a member of theMexican Executive Cabinet who responds to thepresident of the Republic.
In the United Statesfederal government, "Secretary of State" refers to the official responsible for executing the non-military and non-homeland security aspects of foreign policy, the analogue of the foreign secretary orforeign minister of a country that has one or the other. The U.S. secretary of state is head of theUnited States Department of State. The secretary of state is responsible for the administration of United States embassies and their subsidiary units throughout the world.
The U.S. secretary of state has the power to remove any foreign diplomat from U.S. soil for any reason.
Six secretaries of state became presidents (Thomas Jefferson,James Madison,James Monroe,John Quincy Adams,Martin Van Buren andJames Buchanan) and five wonNobel Peace Prizes (Frank Kellogg,Cordell Hull,George Marshall,Elihu Root, andHenry Kissinger).
The now long-established terms "Department ..." and "Secretary of State" were preceded (for two months following the effective date of theConstitution) by thenarrower titleSecretary of Foreign Affairs and the corresponding departmental name; the change reflected the addition of some miscellaneous domestic responsibilities.[1]
The position is widely regarded as the most senior in theCabinet. In thepresidential line of succession the secretary of state falls first among Cabinet officers, and fourth overall. The secretary of state is also, inprotocol, the first Cabinet member in theorder of precedence, immediately preceding any former presidents and former first ladies, who are followed by the rest of the Cabinet.
In most of the individualstates of theUnited States, the Secretary of State is an administrative officer responsible for certain governmental functions. The specific powers and duties of this office depend on the constitution and laws of the particular state, but they often include responsibility for overseeing elections within the state. In the state ofOregon thesecretary of state is an elected office that acts as the equivalent of alieutenant governor in other states among many other duties. In three states (Massachusetts,Pennsylvania, andVirginia), the position is called "Secretary of the Commonwealth", since these states as well as Kentucky are called "commonwealth" instead of "state". InConnecticut, this office is called the "Secretary ofthe State". In three states (Alaska,Hawaii andUtah), there is no secretary of state.
The State Secretary (Setiausaha Kerajaan) was established to support the Menteri Besar in overseeing Brunei's administrative functions. The position was specifically reserved forMalay Muslims and required nomination by the Sultan. Under the 1959 Constitution, the State Secretary became the principal officer managinginternal administrative affairs, ensuring departmental coordination and policy consultation. The State Secretary also held a seat in theCouncil of Ministers and worked alongside other key officials like theAttorney General and theState Financial Officer to implement the Sultan’s executive authority. Additionally, in legal matters involving government personnel, documents signed by the State Secretary, such as those certifying employment details, were accepted as conclusive evidence in court.
InIndonesia, the Minister-Secretary of State (Menteri Sekretaris Negara) is a Government official of Ministerial rank who heads the Ministry of State Secretariat. The Minister-Secretary of State gives technical and administrative assistance to thePresident andVice President in running State affairs. In the President's case, the Minister-Secretary of State also provides assistance for the President in his role as Commander-in-chief ofIndonesian National Armed Forces. In addition, the State Secretary provides the President and Vice President with their reports, coordinates household matters and protocols, as well as assisting in the drafting ofbills and/or Governmental regulations.
The Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. SheikhMuhammad Al-Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, is in charge of international relations of Kuwait, and all Kuwaiti representatives abroad. Al-Sabah is a member of the cabinet of ministers, and reports directly toSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, The Emir of Kuwait. He is also in charge of all the diplomatic representatives inKuwait.
InMalaysia, Chief Secretary to the Government is the Malaysian secretary of state.
However, every state in Malaysia have their own State Secretary, except federal territories. Secretary of State is the member of the State Executive Council, appointed by theGovernor (inMalacca,Penang,Sabah andSarawak) or theSultan (except inNegeri Sembilan, appointed by theYang DiPertuan Besar; andPerlis, appointed by the (Raja of Perlis). The State Secretary is the head of the public service in his/her state.
Following thePortuguese model, in the Government ofTimor-Leste, a Secretary of State (Sekretáriu Estadu inTetum,Secretário de Estado inPortuguese) is a junior minister, subordinate to a cabinet minister. Despite being members of the Government, the Secretaries of State usually do not participate in the Council of Ministers, unless they are specially summoned for and, in this case, without right to vote.
As inFrance, a secretary of state inBelgium is a junior minister who is responsible to a minister or to the prime minister. For example,Vincent Van Quickenborne was a secretary of state charged with the simplification of the administration, and in this role he was accountable to theprime minister. The title "secretary of state" was created because theconstitution of Belgium explicitly limits the number of ministers to fifteen (sevenFrench-speaking ministers and sevenDutch-speaking ministers, with theprime minister being officially "linguistically neutral").[2] Therefore, appointing people as secretaries of state allows the government to circumvent this constitutional limitation. SeeCurrent list of secretaries of states for Belgian Federal Government.
There are also three secretaries of state in the government of the Brussels-Capital Region, one of whom has to be Flemish.
The secretary of state (Riigisekretär) directs theGovernment Office. Its mission is to support theGovernment of Estonia and thePrime Minister of Estonia in policy drafting and implementation. It also supports anyMinisters without portfolio and helps to ensure good governance. The first Secretary of State wasKarl Terras. Before theSoviet re-occupation in 1944, the State Secretary wentinto exile until the position came back toEstonia in 1992.[3]
A state secretary (Finnish:valtiosihteeri), is the highest official below each minister. Ministers, who lead ministries (government departments), comprise theFinnish Government. Each state secretary is appointed for the term of the minister and is responsible to the minister.
This is a new arrangement; during the introduction of this model, a secretary was called "political state secretary" (poliittinen valtiosihteeri). In contrast, previously only two ministries, Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs, used to have state secretaries, who were permanently appointed. One such example isRaimo Sailas [fi].
InFrance, a Secretary of State (Secrétaire d'État) is a junior minister, responsible to a minister or the Prime Minister. It is not to be confused with theMinister of State title given to a senior French cabinet minister of particular importance.
Under theAncien Régime,Secretaries of State were Crown officers whose responsibilities were similar to those of today'sgovernmental ministers.
The GermanStaatssekretär is aBeamter (civil servant) who ranks second only to the minister in a state or federal ministry, so the position is equivalent to that ofPermanent secretary in the United Kingdom, not to that of a U.K. Secretary of State. While officially it is not a political office, often it is assigned by appointment based on political criteria such as party affiliation,[4] rather than by career progression as a civil servant. Nevertheless,Staatssekretäre function as the administrative heads of ministries. They depend on the full confidence of their respective ministers and can at any time be posted into provisional retirement with their pension paid in full. This happens usually when the government or the minister changes.De facto such a provisional retirement is lifelong.
A special case is theParliamentary State Secretary (Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär), who is a member of parliament who is appointed to a ministry as aStaatssekretär; in theGerman Foreign Office and theGerman Chancellery the official title isStaatsminister (Minister of State). Critics claim that parliamentary secretaries of state are usually given little to no influence and responsibility within their ministry, all the while drawing very generous pay due to receiving two salaries, both as a secretary of state and as a member of parliament. For example, when interviewed in 2005 about his post as a parliamentary minister of state in the German Foreign Office (1998–2002) during an investigation into visa abuse,Ludger Volmer [de] claimed that he had been cut off from the workflow within the ministry, and called theStaatsminister office an "Unding" (absurdity).
In 1998, chancellorGerhard Schröder introduced the new office ofFederal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (German:Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien) at the formal rank of aParlamentarischer Staatssekretär, hence the office is usually calledKulturstaatsminister ("State Minister of Culture") for short – although some of the incumbents did not hold a seat in parliament. TheGerman Parliamentary Commission for Culture and the Media [de] (German:Ausschuss für Kultur und Medien) serves in place of a proper ministry for this department. Since 1998, the office ofKulturstaatsminister has been held byMichael Naumann (1998–2001),Julian Nida-Rümelin (2001–2002),Christina Weiss (2002–2005),Bernd Neumann (2005–2013),Monika Grütters (2013–2021) andClaudia Roth (since 2021).
In Greece, the title "Secretary of State" (Greek:Γραμματεύς της Επικρατείας) was used only intermittently during the early years of themodern Greek state. It was first employed for the head of the cabinet under the governorship ofIoannis Kapodistrias, a post held successively bySpyridon Trikoupis (1828–29) andNikolaos Spiliadis [el] (1829–31). It was then abandoned, until used instead of the title of "Minister" (Υπουργός) for the cabinet members in the 1835–37Cabinet of Josef Ludwig von Armansperg, with Armansperg being designated "Chief Secretary of State" (Αρχιγραμματεύς της Επικρατείας).
TheSecretary of State of His Holiness The Pope, or Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over theSecretariat of State, which is the most importantdicastery of theRoman Curia, as it organizes, makes appointments to, and directs the activities of the other dicasteries.[5]The secretariat is also responsible for theHoly See's foreign relations.[5] During asede vacante, the former Secretary of State (the appointment expires when thepope dies or resigns) assumes some of the functions of thehead of state as a part of a temporary commission.[6]
Luxembourgian Secretaries of State (French:secrétaire d'Etat,Luxembourgish:Staatssekretär(in),German:Staatssekretär(in)) are members of the cabinet, and are ranked below ministers. They are given specific briefs, covering the same briefs as the ministers, and help to assist their respective ministers to perform their functions. They often hold more than one brief or assist more than one minister. In thefirst Juncker-Asselborn cabinet, there was one Secretary of State,Octavie Modert, who is responsible for Relations with Parliament; Agriculture, Viticulture, and Rural Development; and Culture, Higher Education, and Research. There had been two in the previous cabinet, and three between 1984 and 1989.
As in France and Belgium, aState Secretary in the Netherlands is a junior minister who is responsible to a Cabinet Minister or the Prime Minister. Some of them may, in specific circumstances, call themselves Minister when visiting a foreign country. Each State Secretary has a certain portfolio, which is different to their Cabinet Minister to split up the responsibilities and relieve the workload.
The top civil servant in a government department is called Secretary-General(secretaris-generaal).
Astatssekretær in Norway plays more or less the same role as theFrench orSwedish equivalent.Secretaries of State are connected to specificministry, and serve as ade facto vice minister. However, the State Secretary cannot attend aCouncil of State and the only minister is constitutionally responsible for all thestatssekretær's decisions in office.
In Poland, the ministries are staffed by secretaries of state and undersecretaries of state, commonly referred to as deputy ministers. Their task is to assist the Minister and replace him if necessary.
InPortugal, a secretary of State (Portuguese:secretário de Estado, masculine;secretária de Estado, feminine;secretários de Estado, plural) is a junior minister, of intermediate rank between that of cabinet minister and that of under-secretary of State. Although having the Constitutional status ofGovernment members, the secretaries of State do not usually participate in theCouncil of Ministers, unless summoned for certain meetings and, in those cases, without right to vote. They act merely as deputies of ministers, having only the powers delegated to them by their ministers or directly by theprime minister.
Until the reorganization of the Portuguese Public Administration structure in 2004, it was common for a secretary of State to be in charge of a secretariat of State (Portuguese:secretaria de Estado), a Government department with a status below that of a ministry. A secretariat of State could be organized as a division of a ministry or occasionally be directly subordinate to the Prime Minister. For example, from 1987 to 1995, a Secretariat of State for the Culture existed directly subordinate to the Prime Minister. Despite this type of department no longer officially existing in the organization of the Portuguese Government, it is still common usage for the portfolio of a secretary of State to be colloquially referred to as a "secretariat of State".
Historically, since the 17th century, the title of "secretary of State" was used to designate the heads of the Government departments of Portugal. In the 19th century, the title of "minister" started to be used, the official complete title of each of the ministers becoming "minister and secretary of State" of a given portfolio untilthe end of the Monarchy in 1910. From them on, the title "minister" completely replaced that of "secretary of State" (with the exception of the briefpresidential system that existed during 1918, in which the ministers were re-titled "secretaries of State"). In 1958, the title of "secretary of State" was reintroduced to designate the then created role of a junior minister, subordinate to a cabinet minister.
In thedevolved governments of theAutonomous Regions (theAzores andMadeira), cabinet members are called "Regional Secretary" of a given portfolio (Portuguese:Secretário Regional), and the head of the cabinet is titled "President of the Regional Government" (Portuguese:Presidente do Governo Regional).
The position of State Secretary (Russian:Статс-секретарь,romanized: Stats-sekretar orRussian:Государственный секретар,romanized: Gosudarstvennyj sekretar) has existed at certain periods of time. Boris Yeltsin revived the post in 1991.
In the Republic ofSan Marino a secretary of state is a senior cabinet minister in charge of a department of state. Secretaries of state are members of theCongress of State.
In present-day organisation of theSpanish Government a Secretary of State (Spanish:Secretario de Estado) is a junior minister. Each ministry may have one or several secretaries of state. For example, theSecretary of State for Press in theOffice of the Prime Minister and theSecretary of State for Ibero-America in theMinistry of Foreign Affairs.
Before 1705, a Secretary of State was an official of theCouncil of State, who acted as an administrative officer and as a liaison between the Crown and the Council. After the division of the post of Secretary of the Universal Office (Spanish:Secretario del Despacho Universal, kind of a prime minister) in 1705, it successors were known as Secretaries of the Office [of State, of War, of Finance, of the Navy, etc] and were granted the same honors and title that the secretaries of the Council of State, so their complete name was Secretaries of State and of the Office (Spanish:Secretarios de Estado y del Despacho), and they were the heads of differentgovernment departments. The Secretary of State and of the Office of State, today known asminister of foreign affairs, usually served as Chief Minister (SeeList of foreign ministers of Spain andList of prime ministers of Spain).
InSweden, a State Secretary (Swedish:Statssekreterare) is a political appointee, second in rank to the Minister (Swedish:Statsråd) in charge of the ministry. Unlike ministers, state secretaries are not members of thecabinet. Typically, there is one State Secretary assigned for each minister in the cabinet, and two for theprime minister. For historical reasons, theState Secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has another title (Swedish:Kabinettssekreterare, in English literally "Cabinet Secretary"). State secretaries tend to, more often than the ministers do, hail from a fixed civil servant background or a professional background relevant to the area of responsibility that belongs to their respective ministries.
In theSwiss federal administration, secretaries of state are the most senior career officials. The title is conferred by theSwiss Federal Council on heads of federal offices whose duties entail independent interaction with senior foreign authorities (cf. article 46 of the Government and Administration Organisation Act[7]). In practice, the function of a secretary of state is the same as in France.
In theKingdom of England, before 1660, an office entitledSecretary of State came into being near the end of the reign ofQueen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary. From 1540 there were sometimes two such secretaries.
From 1660 there were always two secretaries of state, between whom oversight of foreign affairs was divided on a geographical basis while domestic affairs were shared: theNorthern Secretary and theSouthern Secretary. In 1707, England andScotland were merged into theKingdom of Great Britain, and there was a thirdSecretary of State for Scotland until 1746. A thirdSecretary of State for the Colonies existed from 1768. In 1782 a system reform resulted in reverting to having two secretaries of state: aHome Secretary (including colonial affairs) and a Foreign Secretary, with the addition of a third for War from 1794. The title ofUnder Secretary came into use over the same period.[8]
TheUnited Kingdom was formed by the union of theKingdom of Great Britain and theKingdom of Ireland in 1801. By a gradual process between then and the 1960s, most of the ministers of the British cabinet became secretaries of state.
In the United Kingdom, a secretary of state is a senior minister, normally in charge of a government department. Secretaries of state are appointed directly by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, and are responsible, along with other Cabinet members, for the collective government of the United Kingdom. There are a number of secretaries of state, each of whom are formally titled "His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for ..."; legislation generally refers only to "the Secretary of State".[9]
At the Restoration [in 1660] the practice of appointing two Secretaries of State, which was well established before the Civil War, was resumed. Apart from the modifications which were made necessary by the occasional existence of a third secretaryship, the organisation of the secretariat underwent no fundamental change from that time until the reforms of 1782 which resulted in the emergence of the Home and Foreign departments. ... English domestic affairs remained the responsibility of both Secretaries throughout the period. In the field of foreign affairs there was a division into a Northern and a Southern Department, each of which was the responsibility of one Secretary. The distinction between the two departments emerged only gradually. It was not until after 1689 that their names passed into general currency. Nevertheless the division of foreign business itself can, in its broad outlines, be detected in the early years of the reign of Charles II. ... The first question to be considered in the light of the memorandum of 1684 is the origin of the office of Under Secretary. It should be emphasised in this connection that the term 'Under Secretary', although found in use as early as 1672, (fn. 28) passed only gradually into general currency.
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