G/TBT/GEN/165  
 
14 May 2014  
(14-2973) Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  UPDATE ON BIPM ACTIVITIES RELEVANT TO THE TBT COMMMITTEE 
BIPM STATEMENT 
This document contains information provided by the BIPM (Bureau International des Poids et 
Mesures) at the TBT Committee meeting of 19-20 March 2014 under Agenda Item 5 (Update by 
Observers).  
_______________ 
 1.  Thank you Chairman for the opportunity to provide an update from the Bureau international 
des poids et mesures , the BIPM. 
2.  You will recall that the BIPM is an inte rgovernmental organization established by the 1875 
Metre Convention, through which Member States act together on matters related to measurement science and measurement standards. Our mission is to ensure and promote the global 
comparability of measurements, including providing a coherent international system of units, the 
SI. 
3.  We are pleased to be able to advise that participation in our activities continues to grow. We 
have recently welcomed the Republic of Iraq as our 56
th Member State, and the Grand Duchy of 
Luxembourg as an Associate as our 39th Associate. 
4.  The CIPM MRA is the mutual recognition arrangement for the national measurement standards 
and the calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs). 
It provides a convenient mechanism by which the international community can have confidence in 
measurements of the participating NMIs (and of othe r institutes designated as part of the national 
metrology infrastructures).  
5.  There are currently some 25,000 peer reviewed CMCs listed in the publically accessible 
database (KCDB). These internationally recognised capabilities underpin the calibrations and tests performed worldwide, inclusion by accredited laboratories and in industry. The CIPM MRA is also a 
key and recognised mechanism to underpin the ILAC MRA, which was referenced a number of 
times in the Committee on TBT discussions. However the CIPM MRA is now 15 years old, and the metrology community will undertake a wide ranging review of its implementation. The review is essential. The number of participants continues to increase. The metrological principles of SI 
traceable measurements are already well established in physical measurement; ever more widely 
adopted in chemical measurement, and are now also starting to be adopted in biological 
measurement. Thus the review will focus on ensuri ng sustainability of the CIPM MRA, considering 
particularly the workload of the leading national metrology institutes which bear the brunt of 
running the scientific comparisons and the CMC review work.  
6.  Later this month we will be participating with others in a trade capacity building workshop for 
Central Asia, to be held alongside the DCMAS Network meeting in Warsaw, and in June this year in 
a specialist short workshop to be held alongside the AFRIMETS General Assembly in Addis Ababa for those African countries newly engaged in the CIPM MRA. G/TBT/GEN/165 
 
- 2 - 
 
  7.  And finally, in November this year the Gene ral Conference on Weights and Measures will be 
held in Versailles in November, where the Member States will come together to discuss a range of issues, including scientific progress towards the revision of the International System of Units. 
__________