Members

An IEC member is called a National Committee and each NC represents its nation's electrotechnical interests in IEC management and standardization work.

This includes:

• manufacturers, providers, distributors and vendors
• consumers and users
• all levels of governmental agencies
• professional societies and trade associations
• standards developers

National committees are constituted in different ways. Some are public sector only, some are a combination of public and private sector, and some are private sector only. In this respect, the IEC does not specify how an NC should be formed. It is up to the interested parties in each country to decide how they will constitute their NC.

Kinds of members

There are two forms of active participation in the IEC's work. Full Membership allows countries to participate fully in international standardization activities. Full Members are National Committees each having equal voting rights. Associate Membership allows for limited participation of countries with limited resources. Associate members may participate in all technical meetings and in the Council and SMB meetings held within the framework of the annual General Meeting. They have access rights and can comment on all IEC technical documents (from new work to Final Draft International Standards). In addition, Associate Members may request the IEC General Secretary to become Participating members (P-members) on a maximum of four technical committees and/or subcommittees with the right to vote on technical work emanating from their committees of choice.

Other kind of participation

There is also another kind of participation, spelled out in the Affiliate Country Programme, which is aimed at all newly-industrializing countries around the world. It should be noted that Affiliates are neither members nor associate members of the IEC. The Affiliate Country Programme is not a special form of membership.

Responsibilities of members

On becoming a member of the IEC, each NC agrees to open access and balanced representation from all private and public electrotechnical interests in its country. The whole organization of the IEC is designed to ensure that the NCs play a leading part in all decision-making instances of the Commission. This enables the widest degree of consensus on standardization work to be reached at an international level. It is up to the National Committees to align their policies accordingly at the national level.

Benefits of membership

Those involved in IEC standardization work come from all areas of the market and each chooses to participate for various reasons. While it would be impossible to be precise about the motivation each participant has, there are categories of advantages that broadly cover most participants. In general terms, the IEC offers:

• a forum in which formal communication networks that cross international borders may be easily developed
• a place where participants can network within a vibrant community of customers, manufacturers, technical experts and government representatives
• a table where small companies and small countries can sit together as equal partners with big companies and big countries

For the private sector, the IEC offers a forum in which to:

• build acceptance in global markets
• influence the content of standards
• develop anticipatory intelligence
• access the latest technology
• use and develop customer networks
• save time and money
• improve safety and quality of products and services

All of this adds up to reduced transaction costs and increased trade.

For the public sector, international standards are a source for legislation or regulation and for issuing tenders, as well as providing detailed technical interpretation of the law. Additionally, for those who are signatory to it, participating in IEC standards work contributes to fulfilling responsibilities under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

How to participate in a National Committee

If you are in a country that already participates in the work of the IEC, you should contact your NC directly. An up-to-date list of all IEC NCs is available.

If you are in a country that does not yet have an NC, please contact IEC Central Office in Geneva to investigate how you can get involved.

How to form a National Committee

For information on how to form an NC, please contact the General Secretary's Office in Geneva.