Devoted to the development of mathematics education at all levels, the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization whose purpose is to promote international cooperation in mathematics education.

ICMI was established in 1908 at the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians in Rome (see ICMI History) with the initial mandate of analyzing the similarities and differences in the secondary school teaching of mathematics among various countries. Following interruptions in activity as a result of the First and Second World Wars, ICMI was reconstituted in 1952 and became an official commission of the International Mathematical Union (IMU). ICMI has considerably expanded its objectives, activities, and international reach in the years since, with increasing commitment to educational capacity building in developing countries and broadening the participation and inclusiveness in ICMI activities of mathematics educators from diverse cultural contexts.

ICMI is committed to supporting developing countries to become part of the international community of mathematics education, through its regular activities (ICMEs and ICMI Studies) and those of its Affiliate Organizations[MG3] , its ICME Solidarity Fund program, the Capacity and Networking Project, and collaboration with the International Mathematical Union (Commission for Developing Countries).
As a scientific union, IMU is a member of the International Science Council (ISC) formerly ICSU. This implies that through IMU, ICMI is to abide by the ISC statutes, one of which establishes the Principle of the Universality of Science, the essential elements of which are non-discrimination and equity. Through this principle, ISC affirms the right and freedom of scientists to participate without discrimination and on an equitable basis in legitimate scientific activities, whether they be conducted in a national, transnational or international context, regardless of their citizenship, religion, political stance, ethnic origin, sex, etc. Apart from observing IMU and ISC general rules and principles, ICMI works with a large degree of autonomy.

ICMI offers a forum to promote reflection, international collaboration and the exchange and dissemination of ideas on the teaching and learning of mathematics from primary school to university level as well as in non-formal and informal settings. ICMI works to stimulate the creation, improvement and international dissemination of recent research findings and of the available resources for instruction (e.g. curricular materials, pedagogical methods, the appropriate use of technology, etc.).

Among international organizations devoted to mathematics education, ICMI is distinctive because of its close ties with the professional communities of mathematicians and mathematics educators as well as its breadth – thematic, cultural and regional. Thus ICMI has the additional objective of providing a link between educational researchers, curriculum designers, educational policy makers, teachers of mathematics, mathematicians, mathematics educators and others interested in mathematics education around the world.

Here you can download a text presenting an overview of ICMI and its activities (April 2025).

Structure of ICMI