The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments, which first met in Oslo, on 16 August 1939, is constituted as a consultative body of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and seeks to facilitate personal contact between holders of the office of Secretary General in any Parliamentary Assembly, whether such Assembly is a Member of the Union or not.

It is the task of the Association to study the law, procedure, practice and working methods of different Parliaments and to propose measures for improving those methods and for securing cooperation between the services of different Parliaments.

The Association also assists the Inter-Parliamentary Union, when asked to do so, on subjects within the scope of the Association. 

The work of the Association is published in a review, Constitutional and Parliamentary Information, which appears twice a year, in both English and French.