The listed Advisory Committees report to the SMB (Standardization Management Board).

The role of SMB advisory committees, ACEA, ACEC and ACOS is to advise, guide and coordinate IEC technical work, under the auspices of the SMB in their respective areas - environmental issues, electromagnetic compatibility, and safety with the aim of ensuring consistency.

Members are technical committee representatives, as well as experts nominated by National Committees in the particular area concerned, and are appointed by the Standardization Management Board.

Advisory committees provide a forum for the discussion of problems of mutual interest between the representatives of technical committees having considerable interest in the scope of the advisory Committee. Close liaison is maintained with other technical committees concerned.

Sector Boards report to the Standardization Management Board (SMB) and are responsible for advising it on priorities and on ensuring the continuing market relevance of IEC standards.

The objectives of the sector boards include the setting of priorities by market relevance, developing a systems approach to standards needs and setting long-term strategy for standards in the sector concerned. Sector board members are senior executives representative of industry and users in a broad sense involved in strategic planning, evaluation of market relevance and the definition of future market needs. Sector board guests are the representatives of the TCs involved in the area of work covered.

Sector Boards may, like Technical Advisory Committees, set up ad hoc groups and develop guides and recommendations to the Standardization Management Board and to technical committees and subcommittees.

Sector Boards work with all Technical Committees in an industry sector also to ensure coherence at the systems level.