Back in the office, institutional life carries on. Today, I got a visit from these three gentlemen:  Johannes, the Head of the Budget Unit; Freddy, the Director of Finance; and Claus, the Committee’s accountant. Without these gentlemen, and the colleagues who work with them, I would rapidly and ignominiously disappear, for quite simply they make sure that the numbers add up and that every cent is accounted for and therefore provide me with the reasonable assurance I need to sign off the accounts each year. So today we went through the Committee’s annual general accounts for 2011 and the report on budgetary and financial management in 2011. This is an integral part of a Secretary General’s duties. I am there to make sure that the machine works smoothly in absolutely every respect, leaving my masters, the members, free to concentrate on what the activities of this week graphically demonstrated is a very valuable and specifically authentic role: making the voice of organised civil society heard.