The Secretary General and the International Secretariat

The headquarters of the Assembly’s 28-Strong International Secretariat is based in Brussels, Belgium and overseen by the Secretary General.

The International Secretariat performs a dual function: on the one hand, it conducts much of the research and analysis necessary for the substantive output of the Assembly's Committees, and on the other, it provides the administrative support required to organize sessions, seminars, Committee meetings, and other Assembly activities.

In addition to its research and administrative functions, the International Secretariat maintains a close working relationship with NATO, other international organizations and research institutes.

The International Secretariat’s policy staff and management provides briefings on NATO-PA activities and concerns to visiting parliamentary groups, journalists, and academics.

The Secretary General - Ruxandra Popa

Ruxandra Popa has served as the Secretary General since January 2020, having been elected to this position in May 2018.

She first joined the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in August 2005 as the director of the-then Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security, and later served as Deputy Secretary General from 2011 to 2019. Prior to joining the NATO PA, Ms Popa held research and policy positions with several international and European organisations and research institutions, including the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, the German Bundestag and the European Parliament. She has lectured at several French universities and regularly speaks on NATO and international security matters.

Ms. Popa earned a master’s in public administration from Sciences Po Paris and one in International Law from the Sorbonne. She also studied at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
She is a graduate of the 70th national session “Defence Policy” of the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN).

Ruxandra Popa was born in Bucharest, Romania, and is a national of France. 

Former Secretaries General

** Executive Secretary