Commissions form one of the most important activities of any society. From the first years of its existence the IAEG established commissions to deal with a number of key and core value issues. The commissions were, and are, led by eminent specialists of worldwide respect and experience with a team of knowledgeable members from various countries. The themes were either ongoing ones or associated with the development of the science of engineering geology and its new applications. State of the art reports, compilation of world wide experience, guidelines and recommendations were, and always are the main target; however, there are also some, equally valid, commissions for which the primary role is to act as a forum for debate, rather than to produce publishable reports. An important role of the commissions is to promote international co-operation among geologists and engineers in the geotechnical field and in related environmental topics.
Three Joint Technical Committees operate under the umbrella of the Federation of International Geo-engineering Societies – FedIGS, which join the effort of the Sister Societies IAEG, IGS, ISRM and ISSMGE.
The current list of JTCs is the following: