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:

# 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.