Diplomatic and Consular Relations (Commonwealth Secretariat) Order 2008

No. S 261

Diplomatic and Consular Relations Act

(Chapter 82A)

Diplomatic and Consular Relations (Commonwealth Secretariat) Order 2008

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6(3) of the Diplomatic and Consular Relations Act, the Minister for Foreign Affairs hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Diplomatic and Consular Relations (Commonwealth Secretariat) Order 2008 and shall come into operation on 1st June 2008.

Definitions

2.  In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Commonwealth” means the association of sovereign states known as the Commonwealth of Nations, and includes the Commonwealth Secretariat;

“high officer”, in relation to the Commonwealth Secretariat, means —

(a) the Secretary-General;

(b) any Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; or

(c) any Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat;

“member of the staff”, in relation to the Commonwealth Secretariat, means any officer (not being a high officer) or employee of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and includes the president or any member of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal;

“Secretary-General” means the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Additional immunity of high officers and members of the staff

3.  Every high officer or member of the staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat shall, when present in Singapore on any Commonwealth mission, enjoy and have, in addition to his immunities and privileges under the International Organisations (Immunities and Privileges) (Commonwealth Secretariat) Order 2008 (G.N. No. S 262/2008), inviolability of his documents and papers relating to the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat, except in so far as in any particular case that immunity is waived —

(a) in the case of a high officer (not being the Secretary-General) or member of the staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat, by the Secretary-General or the Commonwealth Secretariat; or

(b) in the case of the Secretary-General, by the Commonwealth Heads of Government, the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth or the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Made this 6th day of May 2008.

PETER HO

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Singapore.

[LAW 15/003/000 V4; AG/LEG/SL/82A/2005/1 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 6(4) of the Diplomatic and Consular Relations Act).