Sekretariaadi

Sekretariaadi is a term used in Estonian-language texts to denote the secretariat—the administrative office and staff that provide support to a government body, international organization, or corporation. In its broad sense, sekretariaadi refers to the centralized unit responsible for coordination, documentation, communications, and logistics essential to governing or operating an organization. The form sekretariaadi appears in possessive or genitive constructions such as "sekretariaadi töö" (the work of the secretariat) or "sekretariaadi juhtimine" (management of the secretariat), illustrating how the term functions grammatically in Estonian.

In government and international contexts, secretariats act as the administrative backbone of decision-making bodies. They handle agenda preparation, record-keeping, correspondence, scheduling, and the production of briefings and reports. In corporate and non-profit settings, a corporate secretariat or equivalent unit supports the board, ensures compliance with governance requirements, coordinates meetings, and manages statutory filings and archival records.

Etymology: The concept derives from the Latin secretarium/secretarius, with cognates in several European languages. In Estonian, sekretariaat and sekretariaadi are part of a common semantic field for administrative secretarial functions.