Refers to a director who holds a permanent or standing position on a board, as opposed to an ad-hoc or rotating director. Often used in the context of organizations like the UN Security Council (常任理事国).
He serves as the representative of a permanent member state of the United Nations.
The executive director must attend the monthly meetings.
理事 is a general term for a director or board member, while 常任理事 specifically denotes a permanent or standing director.
常任理事国 is the more common term for a permanent member state of the UN Security Council, whereas 常任理事 refers to the individual director.
Compound of 常任 (permanent, standing) and 理事 (director).