Rule 22 - Function of the Secretary General

1. The Secretary General or his representative may attend the meeting of the Commission. He shall neither participate in the deliberations, nor in the voting. He may, however, be called upon by the Chairman of the Commission to make written or oral statements at the sittings of the Commission.

2. He shall appoint, in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission, a Secretary of the Commission.

3. He shall, in consultation with the Chairman provide the Commission with the necessary staff, means and services for it to carry out effectively the functions and missions assigned to it under the Charter.

4. The Secretary General acting through the Secretary shall take all the necessary steps for the meetings of the Commission.

Rule 23 - Functions of the Secretary to the Commission

The Secretary of the Commission shall be responsible for the activities of the Secretariat under the general supervision of the Chairman, and particularly:

a) He/she shall assist the Commission and its members in the exercise of their functions;
b) He/she shall serve as an intermediary for all the communications concerning the Commission;
c) He/she shall be the custodian of the archives of the Commission;
d) The Secretary shall bring immediately to the knowledge of the members of the Commission all the issues that will be submitted to him/her.

Rule 24 - Estimates

Before the Commission approves a proposal entailing expenses, the Secretary shall prepare and distribute, as soon as possible, to the members of the Commission, the financial implications to the proposal. It is incumbent on the Chairman to draw the attention of the members to those implications so that they discuss them when the proposal is considered by the Commission.

Rule 25 - Financial Rules

The Financial Rules adopted pursuant to the provisions of Articles 41 and 44 of the Charter, shall be appended to the present Rules of Procedure.

Rule 26 - Financial responsibility

The Organisation of African Unity shall bear the expenses of the staff and the facilities and services placed at the disposal of the Commission to carry out its functions.

Rule 27 - Records of Cases

A special record, with a reference number and initialed, in which shall be entered the date of registration of each petition and communication and that of the closure of the procedure relating to them before the Commission, shall be kept at the Secretariat.

Chapter VI - Subsidiary Bodies

Rule 28 - Establishment of Committees and Working Groups

1. The Commission may during a session, taking into account the provisions of the Charter establish, if it deems it necessary for the exercise of its functions, committees or working groups, composed of the members of the Commission and send them any agenda item for consideration and report.

2. These committees or working groups may, in consultation with the Secretary General, be authorized to sit when the Commission is not in session.

3. The members of the committees or working groups shall be appointed by the Chairman subject to the approval of the absolute majority of the other members of the Commission.

Rule 29 - Establishment of Sub-Commissions

1. The Commission may establish Sub Commissions of experts after the prior approval of the Assemble.

2. Unless the Assembly decides otherwise, the Commission shall determine the functions and composition of each Sub Commission.

Rule 30 - Offices of the Subsidiary bodies

Unless the Commission decides otherwise, the subsidiary bodies of the Commission shall elect their own officers.

Rule 31 - Rules of Procedure

The Rules of Procedure of the Commission shall apply, as far as possible to the proceedings of its subsidiary bodies.

Chapter VII - Public Sessions and Private Sessions

Rule 32 - General principle

The sittings of the Commission and of its subsidiary bodies shall be held in public unless the Commission decides otherwise or it appears from the relevant provisions of the Charter that the meeting shall be held in private.

Rule 33 - Publication of Proceedings

At the end of each private or public sitting, the Commission or its subsidiary bodies may issue a communiqui.