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Updated on 18/11/08
 
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General Assembly

The General Assembly (GA) is the highest authority of ICSU and consists of representatives of the Scientific Union Members and of the National Scientific Members.

Terms of Reference (Statute 18)

Since the inaugural event at which ICSU was established in 1931, the Council has held regular General Assemblies. These meetings provide a forum for conducting ICSU business and allow leading scientists to identify and discuss the world’s most pressing scientific issues.

The GA meets every three years and is responsible for setting the general direction, policies and priorities for the next triennium. In 2005, after more than 70 years existence, ICSU underwent a transition, the key element of which was a strategic plan approved by the 28th GA in Suzhou, China.

Past General Assemblies#

Since its foundation in 1931, ICSU* has held the following General Assemblies:

GA
Location
Date
President Documents
29 Maputo 2008- October G. Mehta
  • Decisions with annexes
28 Suzhou/Shanghai 2005-October J. Lubchenco
  • Decisions with annexes
27 Rio de Janeiro 2002-September H. Yoshikawa
  • Resolutions
  • Report with annexes
26 Cairo 1999 - September W. Arber
  • Report with annexes
25 Washington DC 1996 - September J.C.I. Dooge  
24 Santiago 1993 - October M.G.K. Menon  
23 Sofia 1990 - October M.G.K. Menon  
22 Beijing 1988 - September J.C. Kendrew  
21 Berne 1986 - September J.C. Kendrew  
20 Ottawa 1984 - September J.C. Kendrew  
19 Cambridge 1982 - September D.A. Bekoe  
18 Amsterdam 1980 - September C. de Jager  
17 Athens 1978 - September F.B. Straub  
16 Washington DC 1976 - October H. Brown  
15 Istanbul 1974 - September J. Coulomb  
14 Helsinki 1972 - September V.A. Ambartsumian  
13 Madrid 1970 - September V.A. Ambartsumian  
12 Paris 1968 - September J.M. Harrison  
11 Bombay 1966 - January H.W. Thompson  
10 Vienna 1963 - November S. Horstadius  
9 London 1961 - September R. Peters  
8 Washington DC 1958 - October L.V. Berkner  
7 Oslo 1955 - August B. Lindblad  
6 Amsterdam 1952 - October A. von Muralt  
5 Copenhagen 1949 - October J.A. Fleming  
4 London 1946 - July H.R. Kruyt  
3 London 1937 - May N.E. Norlund  
2 Brussels 1934 - July G.E. Hale  
1 Brussels 1931 - July E. Picard  

# Extraordinary Sessions of the General Assembly were held in 1980 in Cambridge, UK and 1998 in Vienna, Austria

* The international Research Council, ICSU's predecessor, held its Assemblies in 1919, 1922, 1925, 1928 and 1931 and an Extraordinary General Assembly in 1926 in Brussels.

 

 
   
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