. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/GEN/121 
12 July 2011 
 (11-3444) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE OIML 
 
  The following information was provided by th e OIML (International Organization of Legal 
Metrology) at the TBT Committe e meeting of 15-16 June 2011. 
 
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  The OIML works for international harmonisa tion in the field of legal metrology. The 
following recent developments are of interest to the TBT Committee: 
 
I. NEW DIRECTOR 
1. At its 45th meeting in September 2010, the CI ML appointed Stephen Patoray (USA) as the 
new Director of the Bureau Internationale de Mé trologie Légale, the headquarters of the OIML.  He 
took up this post on 1 January 2011. 
II. AFRIMETS METROLOGY SCHOOL 
2. The OIML worked in partnership with the BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and 
Measures) and UNIDO, through funding from NORAD,  to organise the first AFRIMETS metrology 
school, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7- 16 February 2011.  This major initiative attracted 
84 metrologists from: 34 African countries: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, 
Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ga mbia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, 
Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nige ria, Rwanda, Senegal, Se ychelles, Sierra Leone, 
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisi a, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and 7 non-African 
countries:  Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Haiti, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the USA. 
3. Over an intensive 10 days, the particip ants attended plenary sessions covering the 
organization of quality infrastructure, scientific metrology, legal metrology and accreditation at 
national, regional and international levels. 
4. World-class lecturers also delivered specific technical training on mass, dimensional, 
temperature and electrical metrology.  This training included practical laboratory sessions to gain hands-on experience. 
5. There were also visits to various industries, which were used as the basis for a course project 
which participants completed in groups during the sc hool in order to present their conclusions in the 
final sessions. 
6. The highly successful school was enjoyed enormous ly by participants and organisers alike, 
and it is hoped that it will be a key component in encouraging and accelerating the development of 
metrology throughout the African continent.  Fo r further information, please see the website 
http://www.afrimets.org , or contact Ian Dunmill ( mailto:ian.dunmill@oiml.org ). G/TBT/GEN/121 
Page 2  
 
  III. WORLD METROLOGY DAY 2011 
7. The OIML and the BIPM jointly organise an annual celebration of the signing of the Metre 
Convention on 20 May 1875, designated World Metrol ogy Day.  For 2011, it was decided that the 
theme of World Metrology Day s hould be Chemistry, under the sl ogan "Chemical measurements for 
our life, our future".  This was to align with 2011' s designation as the International Year of Chemistry. 
8. Events took place in at least 27 countries worldwide, aimed at raising the awareness of 
political decision makers, industry and the genera l public of the importance and relevance of 
metrology to their lives and their economies. 
9. Details of the events, the official press release,  official posters in English and French, and 
translations of the posters into 15 ot her languages can be found on the website 
http://www.worldmetrologyday.org . 
IV. OIML MEMBERSHIP 
10. The OIML is pleased to welcome Zimbabwe as its most recent Corresponding Member. 
Following the AFRIMETS Metrology School men tioned above and meetings of other regional 
metrology bodies, the OIML expects to be able to count a number of other African countries as 
Corresponding Members in the near future.  We ar e also in discussion with some African countries 
which wish to become Member States of the Organisation. 
11. This encouraging membership situation can onl y enhance the development of metrology in 
Africa, and the relevance of OIML Recommendations  to countries at all levels of metrological 
development as these new Members participate in the OIML’s technical work. 
 
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