The benefits of acceding to the Metre Convention
When a state accedes to the Metre Convention, it becomes a State Party to the Metre Convention (or “Member State”) and has the right to participate in all of the activities of the BIPM which include the following:
- To participate in global decision-making on matters relating to the global comparability of measurements by
- Sending a national delegation to take part in the inter-governmental decision-making with a vote on all decisions alongside all other Member States in the meetings of the CGPM (held every four years).
- Nominating a national candidate for election to the eighteen-member governing board of the organization (the CIPM).
- Nominating the Director of its National Metrology Institute and a formal state representative to take part in the annual meeting of “NMI Directors and Member State Representatives” hosted each year at the BIPM Headquarters.
- To contribute to the development of consensus on technical and scientific issues relevant to measurement science and measurements standards by
- Nominating technical experts from its National Metrology Institute to participate in the technical discussion and decision-making at each of the ten subject-specific Consultative Committees of the CIPM.
- Nominating technical and scientific experts from a national metrology institute to benefit from capacity building and knowledge transfer activities both online and at the BIPM Headquarters.
- To access technical and scientific activities by nominating a National Metrology Institute to
- Take part in key comparisons of national measurements standards coordinated by the BIPM laboratories and by the Consultative Committees of the CIPM.
- Submit data to the global calculation of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
- Send staff on secondment to the BIPM laboratories to benefit from Knowledge Transfer activities.
- Make use of the calibration services provided by the BIPM laboratories at no cost.
The activities listed above are reserved exclusively for States Parties to the Metre Convention. In addition, to these, the National Metrology Institute of every Member State can take advantage of an important opportunity that is also open to Associate States and Economies:
- To nominate a National Metrology Institute to take part in the CIPM MRA which is the globally recognized system of mutual recognition of calibration certificates and services.
The CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) provides governments and other parties with a secure technical foundation for wider agreements related to international trade, commerce and regulatory affairs. It allows NMIs to
- Establish the degree of equivalence of their national measurement standards with those of other NMIs worldwide,
- Provide for the mutual recognition of their calibration and measurements certificates by other NMIs worldwide.
Note: the references above to a “National Metrology Institute” may also be extended by a Member State to apply to additional “Designated Institutes”.