The XXIXth General Assembly was opened by a Oli Chant and Blessing by D. Akaka Jr.

The President of the IAU, Prof. Norio Kaifu, welcomed the delegates and members to this first business session of the General Assembly. The President invited the General Secretary, Dr. Thierry Montmerle, to start the business session.

The President of the IAU, Prof. Norio Kaifu, welcomed the delegates and members to the second business session of the General Assembly. The President invited the General Secretary, Dr. Thierry Montmerle, to start the business session.

The incoming IAU President, Silvia Torres-Peimbert, welcomed the participants to the Closing Ceremony of the XXIXth General Assembly.

The members of the Resolutions Committee for the 2012-2015 triennium were:

• Ian Corbett (UK; Chair)

• Bruce Elmegreen (USA)

• Renée Kraan-Korteweg (South Africa)

• Yanchun Liang (China Nanjing)

• Karel van der Hucht (Netherlands)

The three years that have elapsed since the Beijing GA have been extremely rich and varied, and have seen major evolutions in the history of the IAU.

Traditionally, Chapter VI of the Transactions B Volume contains the Reports by the IAU Commissions. However the old Commissions ceased to exist at the XXIX General Assembly and were replaced by the new ones (see the Preface). To mark this important milestone in the history of the IAU, it was decided to dedicate the Volume XXIXA of the Transactions A of the IAU to the Reports by the old Commissions. The Volume, edited by Thierry Montmerle, is entitled “Commissions legacy Reports”: because of this, the Chapter VI of the current Transactions B Volume has been left empty, but it was kept as a chapter not alter the traditional order.

1. The International Astronomical Union (hereinafter referred to as the Union) is an international nongovernmental organization. Its objective is to promote the science of astronomy in all its aspects.

Activities started in early 2015. Individuals applying for nomination for IAU Individual Membership should have contacted their NCA or Adhering Organization before December 1, 2014. The deadline for approved nominations for Individual Members to be submitted to the IAU Secretariat by NCAs or Adhering Organizations was February 3, 2015. Therefore, the focus of this report are the last months prior to the IAU XXIX General Assembly (August 2015) in Honolulu.

NOTE. This chapter lists the main IAU scientific bodies: Divisions, Commissions and their Working Groups.

NOTE. This chapter gives the membership of the IAU Divisions in force until the end of the XVIIIth General Assembly.

NOTE. This chapter gives the membership of the “old” Commissions (listed by Commission number), as they were re-affiliated to the new Divisions that were established at the XXVIII GA in 2012. These Commissions ceased to exist at the XXIX GA and replaced by the new Commissions (se Chapter IX of these Transactions). The membership of the new Commissions was highly provisional and incomplete at the time of the XXIX GA (August 2015), therefore it is not reported here and it will be published in the next issue of the Transactions B.