UNESCO and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) have renewed their long‑standing cooperation, in a move that should put metrology more firmly at the heart of global efforts on education, science and sustainable development.
The updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Paris in December 2025 and chrystalises a shared commitment to promote measurement science as part of the UN 2030 Agenda, from climate action and healthcare to digital transformation and trade.
The new MoU updates and replaces an earlier agreement between UNESCO and the international metrology community dating back to 1949, when the two organisations first began working together to promote quality infrastructure and measurement standards.
The MoU was signed at UNESCO Headquarters by BIPM director Martin Milton and UNESCO assistant director‑general for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito.
According to BIPM, the partnership will support international scientific cooperation, strengthen national measurement systems and encourage science‑based decision‑making across UNESCO’s programmes. UNESCO is increasingly looking to metrology to help countries implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with reliable, comparable data.
A central theme of the new MoU is capacity building, especially in countries where national measurement systems are still developing.
The reinforced partnership demonstrates the growing international visibility of metrology and its direct link to policy agendas such as net zero, digitalisation and resilience of supply chains.
