The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) is governed by its General Assembly. The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the Union, appoints the members of the Executive Council and various International Commissions, and nominates representatives to serve on various inter-union bodies.

IUPAP was established in 1922 at Brussels with 13 member countries. The history of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is described in twenty-one previous publications (Documents IUPAP- 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 the souvenir-albums IUPAP – 50 years, and IUPAP-70 years).

The Union is composed of members representing identified physics communities. Adhering bodies act through their Liaison Committees. Delegates from these Committees meet in the General Assemblies of the Union which are held every three years. The General Assembly appoints the members of the Executive Council and various International Commissions, and nominates representatives on various inter-union bodies. The Council usually meets once each year.

The Union adheres to the International Council for Science (ICSU), which is a non-governmental organisation with a global membership of 120 national scientific bodies and 31 International Scientific Unions. The President of ICSU (2014-2017) is Gordon McBean (Canada) and the Secretary-General is David Black (Australia).