International Union of Speleology (, UIS) is a scientific

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

dedicated to the international promotion and coordination of cave and

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

research. Founded in 1965, UIS is a member of the

International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...

in Paris and cooperates with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. In 2021–2022, UIS organized the ''International Year of Caves and Karst''.

History

In 1949, the international speleological community, then mostly Europeans, agreed in a meeting in Valence-sur-Rhone, France, to hold international speleological congresses beginning in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1953. These efforts continued during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. At the 4th International Congress of Speleology in

Postojna Postojna (; , ) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

in 1965, a group of speleologists proposed to establish an association that would bring together scientists and cavers on both sides of the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

and coordinate their activities. At the closing ceremony of this congress, the UIS was finally launched. However, the confirmation of its organization and statutes did not take place until the following congress in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

in 1969.

International Congresses of Speleology

Meetings have been held in the following years:

Structure

The main body of the UIS is the General Assembly, which is composed of delegates from 58 member countries and meets every four years on the occasion of the International Congresses on Speleology. The voting delegates to the General Assembly are sent by the national scientific societies and associations. At present, the UIS is presided over by a Bureau, which consists of an executive committee of five officers (

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, two Vice Presidents,

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

, and Treasurer), who are joined on the Bureau by seven Adjunct Secretaries. Each Bureau member must be from a different country. These Bureau members are elected at the General Assemblies for a period of four years. The Bureau is assisted by an Advisory Committee, consisting mostly of the past presidents and other past officers. UIS activities take place in a number of commissions and working groups, such as the UIS Informatics Commission formed in 1986, the Speleotherapy Commission or the Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis Commission. Other UIS undertakings include the ''Speleological Abstracts'' (SA/BBS), an annual survey of the world's speleological literature, or the ''Karst Information Portal'' (KIP), an open-access digital library on karst environments.

List of presidents

Of the 12 past presidents in office, 10 have been male:

List of general secretaries

Former general secretaries:

Publications

Since 1978, UIS publishes the ''

International Journal of Speleology The ''International Journal of Speleology'' is since 1978 the official peer-reviewed scientific journal of the ''Union Internationale de Spéléologie''. Since 1981 it has been published by the Società Speleologica Italiana. The ''International ...

.''

References

External links

International Union of Speleology (UIS)

UIS History Video, 1965-2015
{{Authority control Members of the International Council for Science Caving organizations Organizations established in 1965 Postojna 1965 establishments in Slovenia Members of the International Science Council