20 May 2025 Programme
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris

150 Years of the Metre Convention: Science, Innovation & Global Impact

20 May 2025 will be the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention and therefore a special World Metrology Day. It will be marked by an event held to celebrate the achievements of 150 years of the BIPM.

Speakers’ contributions will span all the way from the history of the BIPM as one of the oldest international organizations of the world to the current challenges in metrology. They will focus on the scientific achievements of 150 years of metrology and the unique international scientific collaboration under the Metre Convention.

Registration at the welcome desk

Opening and High-Level Opening Remarks

Lidia Arthur Brito

Assistant Director-General, UNESCO – United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Askar Abdrakhmanov

Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Bobjoseph Mathew

President, CIML - International Committee for Legal Metrology

Wynand Louw

President, CIPM – International Committee for Weights and Measures

Georja Calvin-Smith

Journalist, master of ceremonies

Keynote Address: “The SI – a Tool for All Mankind”

William D. Phillips

NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States of America, Nobel Prize in physics 1997

Panel Discussion : “Navigating the future of Metrology: Addressing Scientific and Technical Multilateralism Challenges”

Maguelonne Chambon

LNE - Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais, France

Shaofeng Hu

UNESCO - United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Alessandro De Angelis

Permanent Delegation of Italy to international organizations in Paris and University of Padua, Italy

Mustafa Çetintaş

UME – National Metrology Institute of Türkiye

Sharonmae Smith-Walker

CARICOM – Regional Organization for Standards and Quality

Victoria Coleman

NMIA - National Measurement Institute, Australia (and CIPM)

12:45 to 14:30 - Lunch break

150 Years of International Use of the Metric System

Fabienne Casoli

President, Paris Observatory-PSL

Ken Alder

Northwestern University, United States of America

Yuning Duan

NIM – National Institute of Metrology, China

Martin J.T. Milton

Director, BIPM – International Bureau of Weights and Measures

Panel Discussion: “Future Challenges for Global Metrology”

Georja Calvin-Smith

Journalist, master of ceremonies

Willie E. May

Morgan State University, United States of America

Nathalie von Siemens

Pascale Defraigne

Royal Observatory, Belgium

Venu Gopal Achanta

NPLI - National Physical Laboratory of India

Henry Rotich

KEBS - Kenya Bureau of Standards

Closing note and closing remarks

Takashi Usuda

Secretary, CIPM  – International Committee for Weights and Measures

Shaofeng Hu

UNESCO - United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization