The leading role of metrology in all areas of human activity, both in the development of the world economy and in scientific and technological progress, is indispensable. Metrology is the science of measurement. There is no field of human activity where the results of measurements are not used. Approximately 15% of social labor is devoted to performing measurements. Billions of measurement operations are carried out every second worldwide. Their results are widely used in ensuring the quality and technical level of the produced goods, the safe and accident-free operation of transportation, the substantiation of medical and environmental diagnoses, and the analysis of data flow. The globalization of trade worldwide, the international joint production of goods, increasing concern for public health and safety, and environmental issues have further emphasized the importance of ensuring the integrity of measurements at the international level in the modern era.  

Considering this necessity, on May 20, 1875, government representatives of 17 developed countries signed the “Metre Convention” (French: Convention du Mètre), also known as the Treaty of the Metre, in Paris, thus establishing the World Metrology Day, celebrated annually worldwide. Currently, more than fifty states have joined this convention. The convention regulates the international relations of the signatory states.  For this purpose, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures) was established. The BIMP has its headquarters in the city of Sèvres near Paris. The Bureau (BIPM) is an intergovernmental organization through which Member States act together on matters related to measurement science and measurement standards. The goal of the BIPM is to ensure worldwide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI). The Bureau is a centre for scientific and technical collaboration between Member States, providing capabilities for international measurement comparisons coordinating the worldwide measurement system, and ensuring it gives comparable and internationally accepted measurement results. Its upkeep is financed jointly by the Member States of the Metre Convention. The BIPM operates under the exclusive supervision of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM - Comitee İnternational des Poids et Mesures) which itself comes under the authority of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) and reports to it on the work accomplished by the BIPM. The CIPM has set up bodies, known as Consultative Committees, whose function is to provide it with information on matters that it refers to them for study and advice. At present, there are ten such committees: The Consultative Committee for Electricity and Magnetism (CCEM), The Consultative Committee for Photometry and Radiometry (CCPR), The Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT), The Consultative Committee for Length (CCL), The Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF), The Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI), The Consultative Committee for Units (CCU), The Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM), The Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM), The Consultative Committee for Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration (CCAUV).

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) was established in 1955. The supreme body of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) is the International Conference of Legal Metrology. This conference is convened once every four years. The decisions of the OIML are advisory, and their implementation depends on the particular state. Currently, the OIML comprises 80 member states.

For the first time in the Caucasus countries, inspection centers for measurement and weighing instruments were established in Baku in 1906. This event, which became a historic milestone among the Soviet republics, included a decision on the mandatory verification of the accuracy of electricity meters. In 1931, the Chamber of Inspection of Measurement and Weighing Instruments was organized as the Bureau of Standardization, and new laboratories were set up. In 1966, the Committee on Standardization, established within the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, included a state control laboratory for nationally important standards and measuring instruments, a Ganja city laboratory with the same function, and 39 temporary stations.

After gaining independence, the development of standardization and metrology in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the national leader Heydar Aliyev. One of the most important issues the Azerbaijani state paid increased attention to is compliance with established metrological norms and regulations. The "Law on Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements," approved by the national leader Heydar Aliyev on June 13, 2000, was adopted. Additionally, by Decree No. 623 dated December 27, 2001, issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, the State Agency for Standardization, Metrology, and Patents of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established. The State Committee on Standardization, Metrology, and Patents was established based on the State Agency on November 19, 2008, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev "On the establishment of the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology, and Patents of the Republic of Azerbaijan". By decree dated April 4, 2012, the State Metrology Service was established under the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology, and Patents of the Azerbaijan Republic. The Azerbaijan Institute of Metrology, subordinate to the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology, and Patents, was established based on the State Metrological Service, which was abolished by the Decree of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic dated February 10, 2017. The State Committee for Standardization, Metrology, and Patents was abolished by Presidential Decree No. 5 of April 20, 2018. Its responsibilities in the field of technical regulation, standardization, metrology, conformity assessment, accreditation, and quality management were transferred to the State Service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in the field of industrial property protection were transferred to the Intellectual Property Agency.

Metrology plays a significant role in enhancing the country's living standards, protecting the environment and consumer rights, ensuring people's safety, and scientific and technical research. This remarkable day, which is celebrated by the Regional Metrology Organizations with a series of events, is dedicated to a different theme every year. The objective of observing this day in various topics annually is to contribute to the advancement of scientific and technological progress, the development of products that meet consumer demands, and the assurance of efficient production. From this perspective, metrology plays an exceptional role in modern society, regardless of scientific measurement standards and application areas. Metrology holds great importance for the advancement of both natural and technical sciences. Enhancing the accuracy of measurements is one of the ways to improve human understanding of nature and to refine the practical application of discoveries and precise knowledge. To achieve scientific and technical progress, metrology should be ahead of other fields of science and technology. Currently, significant efforts are being made in this area in Azerbaijan, and effective consecutive work is being carried out in the field of metrology by the Institute. Compliance with metrological standards and regulations, as well as alignment with state standards, remains consistently prioritized in our country.

Recommended literature:

1. Qafarov, Aydın Məmiş oğlu. Metrologiya, standartlaşdırma, sertifikatlaşdırma : dərslik / A. M. Qafarov ; red. M. Ş. Zeynalova. - Bakı : CBS Polygraphic Production, 2012. - 525 s.
2. Qanunverici metrologiyanın əsasları. /A. M. Həşimov, O. A. Abbasov, Y. N. Həsənov, S. H. Hümbətov. - Bakı: Elm, 2011. - 380 s.
3. Qafarov, Aydın Məmiş oğlu. Metrologiyanın əsasları /A. M. Qafarov, V. A. Qafarov. - Bakı: Çaşıoğlu, 2008. - 312 s.