V. SECRETARIAT Duties of the Secretary-General Rule 21 1. At the request or by decision of the Committee and approval by the General Assembly: (a) The secretariat of the Committee and of such subsidiary bodies established by the Committee (“the Secretariat”) shall be provided by the Secretary-General; (b) The Secretary-General shall provide the Committee with the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of its functions under the Convention; (c) The Secretary-General shall be responsible for all necessary arrangements for meetings of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies. 2. The Secretary-General shall be responsible for informing the members of the Committee without delay of any questions that may be brought before it for consideration or of any other developments that may be of relevance to the Committee. Statements Rule 22 The Secretary-General or her or his representative shall be present at all meetings of the Committee and may make oral or written statements at such meetings or at meetings of its subsidiary bodies. Financial implications Rule 23 Before any proposal that involves expenditure is approved by the Committee or by any of its subsidiary bodies, the Secretary-General shall prepare and circulate to the members of the Committee or subsidiary body as early as possible, an estimate of the cost involved in the proposal. It shall be the duty of the Chairperson to draw the attention of members to this estimate and to invite discussion on it when the proposal is considered by the Committee or subsidiary body. VI. LANGUAGES Official languages Rule 24 Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish shall be the official languages of the Committee. 103