Education
He is a student of History and has studied in St. Stephens
College, Delhi University and Jawaharial Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Career
highlights
Mr. Kocheril Velayudhan Bhagirath is from the Indian Foreign
Service which he joined in 1979. During his diplomatic career
spanning over three decades, assignments in the Middle East, Latin
America, Europe and Africa. He was posted in Damascus Syria from
l981 to 1983, in Havana, Cuba from 1989 to 1993, in London, United
Kingdom from 1993 to 1997, in Mauritius from 1997 to 2001, in Paris
from 2004 to 2007, and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from October,
2007 to 2011.
His spouse, Mrs. Hemalata Bhagirath, is also from the Indian
Foreign Service and is currently High Commissioner in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. They have a daughter and a son.
Duties and
Responsibilities
The Secretary-General serves as the
Chief Administrative Officer of the Secretariat and performs
its function in accordance with terms and conditions provided in
the Charter and the Rules of Procedure.
The Secretary-General represents
IOR-ARC Secretariat at the Council of Ministers, Committee of
Senior Officials and Working Groups the meetings, reporting the
proceedings and decisions of the meetings and to
follow-up implementation of the decisions;
The Secretary-General supports any
other meetings as specifically instructed by the COM and/or CSO and
reporting of proceedings and decisions;
The Secretary-General ensures an
efficient operation of the Secretariat, preparing and submitting
progress, regular reporting on the status of the IOR-ARC's work
program and calendar of events to Member States. Compilation
and distribution of any other annual or periodical publications or
documents as instructed by the COM and/or CSO;
The Secretary-General bears full
responsibility for the management of fiscal resources of the
Secretariat, management of IOR-ARC's budget, finances and
financial records including expenditure made by the Secretariat and
any funds held by the IOR-ARC, presentation of a sufficiently
detailed annual budget to the COM and CSO for approval,
proper reporting of sufficiently detailed audited financial
statements to the COM and CSO;
The Secretary-General recommends to
the CSO, in line with agreed IOR-ARC guidelines and procedures, for
a change in status of a project that may not be proceeding as
approved by the CSO. This should follow a process of
monitoring and consultation with the project coordinators, in line
with guidelines agreed by the IOR-ARC;
The Secretary-General assigns, in
conformity with the objectives of the IOR-ARC and for the effective
fulfillment of the Secretariat functions, the appropriate division
of work among the staff members based on their job
descriptions;
The Secretary-General supervises
the preparation and authorizing the distribution of documents,
publications and correspondence of the Secretariat; guidance of the
work of the Directors in carrying out their specified duties;
supervision of any supporting staff according to the terms and
conditions of the organization.
The Secretary-General is
responsible and accountable to the Chair of IOR-ARC and Member
States for the smooth and effective operations of the Secretariat;
maintenance of IOR-ARC properties held at the Secretariat and
maintenance of any premises and properties provided to the
Secretariat under the agreed terms and conditions;
The Secretary-General reports on an
annual basis to the Chair of the CSO on the performance of all
staff at the Secretariat, including the Secretary-General.
These evaluations should be the result of supervisor and peer
assessment made by all staff and the Secretary-General based on key
performance indicators.