Article 12 The APR Continental Secretariat 1. The APR Continental Secretariat shall be the Secretariat of the APRM and shall serve the APR Forum, APR Focal Points Committee and APR Panel. Accordingly, the APR Continental Secretariat shall provide the APR Panel with secretariat, technical, advisory, coordination and administrative support for the functioning of the APRM; a) undertake and manage research and analysis that underpins the APRM process; b) prepare and service the meetings of the APR Forum, APR Focal Points Committee and the APR Panel ; and c) prepare the necessary background work, and facilitate, the country review processes, including support missions, country review missions, publication of reports and monitoring and follow-up 2. The APR Continental Secretariat shall be led by a CEO 3. The CEO shall be appointed by the APR Forum which shall adopt regulations setting out his powers, duties, conditions of service and term of office. In fulfillment of the exigencies of the office and established AU administrative practices, the CEO shall be accorded the rank of an AU Commissioner. 4. The CEO shall appoint the staff of the Continental Secretariat and determine their duties and conditions of service in accordance with the relevant AU rules and regulations and the decisions of the APRM Committee of Focal Points. 5. In appointing the staff of the Continental Secretariat, the CEO shall ensure the highest possible technical competence and qualifications, fair regional representation, and fair gender balance. 6. The responsibilities of the CEO and of the staff of the Continental Secretariat shall be exclusively international in character. In the discharge of their duties, the CEO and the staff of the Continental 16 Statute of the African Peer Review Mechanism, August 2016V11082016