Closing Statement and Recommendations Of The First Gulf Metrology Forum

Under the patronage of His Excellency Engineer Ahmad Bin Amer Al-Hemaidi, Qatar’s Minister of Environment, the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) organized the 1st Gulf Metrology Forum in collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Environment, the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) and GULFMET. Many experts and professionals in charge of national, Gulf and international metrology centres, organisations and institutes attended the Forum, including the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML) and the Head of the Asia Pacific Programme. The 1st GMF was held at the Hilton Hotel Doha, Qatar, on the 14th and 15th of December, 2015. 

HE Engineer Ahmad Bin Amer Al-Hemaidi inaugurated the Forum. He highlighted the important role of metrology in energy, industries, economies and technologies. He stressed the need for a national measurement system and the necessity of building adequate infrastructure to develop and offer measurement services according to the needs of societies and economies. 

HE Mr. Abdulaziz Bin Hamad Al-Ageel, GOIC Secretary General, delivered a speech in which he welcomed participants and underlined the importance of industrial standards and measurements as a key requirement for global trade, international technological advancement and the industrial development cycle. According to Mr. Al-Ageel, metrology helps improve outputs of manufacturing industries and all other productive industrial sectors. His Excellency reiterated the need to update measurement and calibration regulations in GCC countries to improve quality of products, protect the environment and boost national competitiveness. 

Furthermore, HE Mr. Nabil Amin Mulla, GSO Secretary General delivered his address. He began by thanking GOIC for this initiative and for its active role in coordinating Gulf efforts aiming at stimulating economic development. Mr. Mulla highlighted the importance of measurements and tests in today’s economy and the need to provide adequate metrology infrastructure in GCC countries, hence allowing their economies to control the quality of products and services through internationally recognised methods. 

In his speech, Dr. Martin Milton, BIPM Director General, shed light on the objectives of measurements and the historical stages of international cooperation in the field of measurements. He opined that measurements are nowadays a key and integrated part of quality infrastructure. He also announced that GULFMET has gained international recognition as a Regional Metrology Organisation (RMO).   

Throughout two days, four sessions were held including two open discussion sessions during which 21 specialised papers in the area of metrology and calibration were presented and discussed. These papers tackled different aspects and perspectives, and focused on the importance of measurement to all economic and services activities. They also highlighted the role of measurements in all aspects of our lives such as: energy efficiency, transfer of measurement knowledge and the necessity of using measurements in production operations, services and medical equipment calibration.

Success stories from GCC countries and the rest of the world were then presented, in addition to the role played by organisations, institutes and laboratories operating in this field. 

Based on aforementioned papers and discussions between professionals specialised in metrology in the GCC and a large number of international organisations operating in this area, participants agreed on the following recommendations:

1. Endeavouring to develop a comprehensive national strategy for metrology infrastructure in member states by founding a National Metrology Institute (NMI) to improve measurement and calibration capacities and acquire international recognition in accordance with the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).

2. Working to support SMEs to improve their products and services by using reliable measurements for testing and analyses. 

3. Invite the private sector to invest in different aspects of metrology activities and providing incentives and support to stimulate this sector.

4. Calling upon GCC countries that have not yet joined the Metre Convention to do so.

5. Inviting GCC countries to deploy more efforts to adopt a unified measurement law for GSO member states along with local explanatory guides.

6. Introducing metrology to school and university curricula.

7. Improving the skills of metrology staff in member states through metrology scholarships.

8. Supporting GULFMET in its attempt to come up with joint schemes to assist GCC states with limited technical metrologic capacities in order to better their capacities in the area of metrology in accordance with their needs. 

9. Putting together a database that includes existing metrology capacities and future needs of metrology services in various sectors in GCC countries through cooperation between GOIC and GULFMET.

10. Inviting research and development centres in the GCC to support NMI research projects.

11. Encouraging GCC countries to move forward towards complete integration in the field of metrology activities and services.

12. Supporting GULFMET and benefiting from its services to improve measurement capacities and secure international recognition.

13. Holding the Gulf Metrology Forum on a regular basis.

Finally, participants expressed their deepest gratitude to HE the Minister of Environment for his patronage of this event, to GOIC for the organisation of this Forum and to GSO and GULFMET for their cooperation with GOIC. Participants also thanked all speakers for their fruitful contributions, and all sponsors for their support and help in the success of the 1st GMF.