By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

Measurements are important in all aspects of life, especially in trading goods and services, receiving medical treatments and above all when decisions are made at the governments level, said director of the Paris-based Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) Marten Milton.
In his keynote address at the Gulf Metrology Forum yesterday Milton said that the “aim of the metrology forum is to establish global agreement about measurements, and also about them being right”.
Recalling that international collaboration in metrology started as far back as 1875 when the Metre Convention, signed by 17 countries in Paris enabled to form the metric system based on the kilogramme and metre worldwide. BIPM has now grown to an international organisation whith 57 member states and 40 associate states and economies.
Milton said metrology is now recognised as an essential and integrated part of the quality infrastructure that everyone depended on and it worked alongside standardisation, the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories to provide a recognised and transparent basis for confidence in trade.
The BIPM director said Saudi Arabia and the UAE from the GCC are now members of the BIPM and there are two associate states - Oman and Yemen.
He said negotiations are underway in three states to be part of the forum. At the global level, regional organisations are already at work in Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific regions. More recently regional bodies have been established in Central Asia and in Africa.
Milton said that Gulfmet is set to become the sixth regional metrology organisation.
He said the regional bodies are committed to ensuring uniformity of measurements while promoting co-operation between their members. The BIPM director said Gulfmet has encouraged the participation of associate members from other regions, including Turkey, Korea and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this is a very useful way to exchange knowledge to accelerate the development of Gulfmet.
The official said that now it is possible for Gulfmet to take part in meetings of the joint committee of the regions with BIPM. “This is an important step for Gulfmet as it would lead to full participation in the global system alongside the other five RMOs. If we see the same progress that we have seen with the other RMOs, we can expect accelerated development of the National Metrology Institutes in the Gulf region,” he added.
Full recognition will enable Gulfmet to play its role in implementing the work of the mutual recognition arrangements (MRA) amongst the GCC nations. This is a BIPM system that now covers 250 organisations from 54 member states, 40 associate states and economies, and 4 international organisations.
GCC Standardisation Organisation secretary general Nabil Amin Al-Mulla said the Gulf Organisation of Industrial Consulting (Goic) has contributed considerably to raising awareness about the importance of metrology and its key role in various aspects of the daily lives, the wellbeing of humanity and the scientific and industrial
advancement.