The Council is composed of the President, Immediate Past President, Secretary General, Treasurer, one Vice-President from each Region, and four Council Members from each Region.
Between meetings of the Assembly, the Council is responsible for managing and directing the affairs of the Union; it exercises all powers of the Union except those required by these Articles and Bylaws to be exercised by the Assembly.
NB: In 2023, the Assembly meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, voted to revise the UIA Statutes by eliminating the Bureau and merging the three international officers (President, Secretary General, and Treasurer) with the five Vice Presidents and Council members, creating a more horizontal structure with the Council involved in all decision-making levels. This issue was deliberated and voted on during the Assembly meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 2024, where delegates approved the abolition of the Bureau to establish a more collegial governance structure.