1. Organizational structure

The Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) was created by a treaty, the Metre Convention, signed in Paris on May 20 1875 by the representatives of 17 States, and modified in 1921 to enable the BIPM to extend the scope of its activities. The BIPM has the authority to act in the field of world metrology – in particular with regard to measurement standards, which are called upon to cover with increasing accuracy ever wider and more varied fields – and to demonstrate equivalence between the standards of different countries. As of April 15, 2018, the BIPM had 59 Member States and 42 Associates.

It is remarkable that an international organization as old as the BIPM has not only survived, but also adapted to the most profound changes that have taken place in the last century and a half, those of science and globalization. Of course, necessity is the law: a world...