IMU is an international non-governmental and non-profit making scientific organization, with the purpose of promoting international cooperation in mathematics. It belongs to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).
IMU president David Mumford and the Notices of the AMS managing editor Allyn Jackson describe in their two part Notices article of November/December 1994 "What is IMU" the work and structure of IMU in more detail.
The objectives of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) are
IMU was originally formed in 1919. It existed until 1936 and was then reconstituted in 1951.
Professor Olli Lehto, former member of the IMU Executive Committee and IMU Secretary from 1983 to 1990, is currently writing a book about the history of IMU. His short article "IMU - Past and Present" is a brief summary of his work and appeared in the IMU Bulletin 39, 1996.
A country adheres to IMU through an adhering organization, which may be its principal academy, a mathematical society, its research council or some other institution or association of institutions, or an appropriate agency of its government. Currently there are 60 countries adhering to IMU.
The first International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) was held in 1897. Since 1900 ICMs take place every four years. The 1998 ICM will be held in Berlin, Germany from August 18 to August 27, 1998.
In the "Declaration of Rio de Janeiro on Mathematics" of May 6, 1992, IMU has declared the year 2000 to be World Mathematical Year, WMY 2000.
IMU has established two IMU commissions and one joint commission with another international union: