AstheDirectoroftheInternationalBureauofWeightsandMeasures(inFrench,Bureau

　　InternationaldesPoidsetMesuresorBIPM),Iamdelightedtolendmysupporttoyour

　　"InternationalAccreditationDay."

　　Accurateandtraceablemeasurementisincreasinglyimportantinscience,commerce,in

　　themonitoringofourenvironmentandinnewareasofapplicationsuchaslaboratory

　　medicineandforensicscience.

　　Themetrologycommunityhasbeenworkingwithitsaccreditationcolleaguesformany

　　yearssoastoenhanceworld-wideconfidenceandtrustinmeasurement.BIPM’smajor

　　contributionisthroughthenetworkofNationalMetrologyInstituteswhichmaintainand

　　disseminatenationalstandardsthatprovidetraceabilitytotheInternationalSystemof

　　Units(inFrench,theSystèmeinternationald’unités,theSI).TheNMIsestablishand

　　maintainnationalstandardsbasedonthelong-termstabilityanduniversalityprovidedby

　　theSI,andprovidecalibrationsto,amongstothers,accreditedlaboratories.These

　　laboratoriesthenoffercalibrationservicestoothers,soestablishingnationalchainsof

　　traceablemeasurementresults.Thisuniquecombinationprovidesthesoundestpossible

　　basisforensuringreliablemeasurementandinternationalconsistency.

　　TheeffectivenessofthisinternationalmeasurementsystemisformalisedintheMutual

　　RecognitionArrangementoftheInternationalCommitteeforWeightsandMeasures(the

　　abbreviationoftheFrenchtitleisCIPMMRA)andtheILACarrangement.Fromthe

　　BIPM’spointofview,wearecommittedtoworkingtogethertofurtherstrengthenour

　　collaborationwithILAC/IAFsoastocreateamorepowerfulandinfluentialsupportfor

　　internationaltrustinaccuratemeasurement.