UN message to IEC

In his congratulatory message to the IEC on its centenary, Kofi Annan underlines the close ties that link our organization to the United Nations and other international bodies such as IAEA, ILO, ISO, ITU & WHO.
 

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
MESSAGE ON THE CENTENARY OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
2006

Kofi Annan United Nations Secretary-General

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the International Electrotechnical Commission on its 100th anniversary.

The IEC’s global work for electrical safety makes an important contribution to our efforts to build a better world for all people.  From mobile phones to medical equipment, from transport to television and the latest information technologies, the IEC’s efforts to forge standards provide some of the very building blocks of sustainable human development.

The way in which the IEC works is also significant.  In an increasingly interdependent world, international cooperation is more vital than ever.  It is heartening, therefore, that the IEC brings together not just Governments but also industry and consumers; not just developed countries but also the developing world; and not just paid employees but also thousands of volunteers, including scholars and end-users.

Having just lived through the “electric century” -- a period of remarkable progress in human well-being but also one in which the blight of extreme poverty remained omnipresent -- it is clear that the United Nations and the IEC share an interest in harnessing the power of electricity to the great cause of economic and social progress.  Two billion of our fellow human beings, for example, need access to modern energy services.  The IEC is well-positioned to help in this effort, and thereby make a significant contribution to reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
 
Our organizations work well together, through the IEC’s consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and through operational activities with UN bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Economic Commission for Europe.

The United Nations family looks forward to working ever more closely with the IEC for many years to come.  Thank you for your commitment to our common mission, and I wish you all the best as you mark the centenary of your founding.

IEC expert receives France's highest award

On 22 July 2006, in the presence of 120 guests, IEC Lord Kelvin Awardee for 1996 Paul Sandell was presented by Presidential decree with France’s highest order, the Légion d’Honneur. The Order of Chevalier, which in English can be translated as ‘Knight’, was originally established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802 and is awarded to men and women, both French citizens and foreign nationals, for their outstanding achievements to military or civilian life.

The IEC was well represented at the ceremony and members, both from the Old Fellows and active participants, presented Sandell with gifts, some edible and some of a more historical or cultural nature, together with the official greetings of the President and the General Secretary of the IEC and the Secretary of the IEC Old Fellows group, who are former IEC officers and senior officials.

Paul Sandell is seen here accompanied by Marie-Chantal Jolland, the present Mayor and André Suisse, former Mayor of Saint Antoine l’Abbaye.
Légion d’Honneur medal   Lord Kelvin Award

For 86-year old Sandell, the occasion was a moving one. In his speech to those present, he underlined the importance of the event, not only for him personally, his family and his village, but also as proof of international cooperation and the hard work of so many people in different parts of the world. “I am particularly honoured by the gift I have received from the IEC Old Fellows” he said. “For me, as a Frenchman, the Meissen porcelain made by the Royal Manufactory to celebrate the 1990 Berlin reunification has a very special significance.”

Paul Sandell, IEC Lord Kelvin Award winner in 1996, has been associated with standardization and the electrotechnical industry since 1946. Indeed, he has played a role, whether as a member or head of the French delegation, or President, in no less than 130 working groups, subcommittees and technical committees. In particular, his name is associated with the widespread electrical accessories – cables, conductors, plugs, devices and so on – found in homes, offices, hospitals and public buildings.

He has spent much of his life promoting European and international standardization throughout the world. During the course of his travels, he has visited 41 different countries and met with countless representatives in numerous locations. A humanist by nature, Sandell speaks French, Russian, English and German. He advocates that much more can be achieved by sitting down and talking face to face than by arguing about semantics. Throughout his career, therefore, the motto he has adopted in putting a face on electricity has been that of ‘Restoring the human element to the electrotechnical world’.

IFAN to hold workshop in China - "Application of standards in China and beyond"

The International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN), which was founded in 1974, is an independent, not-for-profit international association made up of national organizations for the application of standards, corporate and company members, professional and trade associations and governmental agencies that are concerned with the use of standards.

Although not a standard developer itself, it aims at encouraging the implementation of standards in a uniform manner, developing solutions in answer to the problems of users and promoting networking in the field of international standardization and conformity assessment.

In 2006 the IFAN annual general assembly is taking place in Beijing on October 24. This choice of venue has inspired the organizers to propose a two-day workshop immediately afterwards, open to both Chinese and foreign participants, for building up greater cultural understanding. The programme aims to provide attendees with the opportunity to increase acumen and awareness in a country that has both numerous trading opportunities and a substantially different business culture to that of Western countries. Over the two days (25-26 October), the programme will study standardization from both an eastern and a western perspective, covering subjects such as:

• Standardization system and the application of standards in China;
• Legal basis of standardization and links between standards and regulations (referencing);
• Standardization organization and its strategies;
• Intellectual property rights (IPR) in standardization including patents, copyright, trademarks and liability;
• Chinese conformity assessment system;

For further information about the programme and relevant forms, see the IFAN website.

Romania celebrates IEC centenary with special symposium

The IEC National Committee of Romania (CER) and the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB) organized on 10 July 2006 a symposium entitled “The IEC Centenary – a century of activities dedicated to electrotechnical standardization and its role in promoting the international values changes”.

There were special greeting messages from the:

• Romanian Ministry of Economy and Commerce;
• President of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
• Ministry of Education and Research;
• Romanian Academy;
• Ministry of European Integration;
• Romanian General Association of Engineers;
• Bucharest Polytechnical University; and
• Romanian National Committee for the World Council of Energy.

The event then proceeded with the presentation of three papers. Professor Florin Teodor Tanasescu, who is CER President, spoke about “The Centenary of IEC”, Director Mircea Martis, Romanian Standards Association (ASRO) Executive, described “The past, present and future of electrotechnical standardization”, while CCIB Vice-President, Nicolae Vasile, focused on the role played by electrotechnical standardization in improving the competitiveness of products and services.

In total, some 160 participants from industry, commerce, universities and research units attended the symposium, which successfully highlighted IEC’s accomplishments and its 100th anniversary.

IEC in Kazakhstan

IEC Strategic Development Manager, Jack Sheldon, met with experts from the Kazakhstan electronics and electrical equipment industry, government and academia on 26 June 2006 in Astana, Kazakhstan for a training seminar covering the standardization role of the IEC, its procedures and the international benefits members gain.

Participants from Kazakhstan, a relatively new Associate Member of the IEC, attended the one day training session set up to provide them with a better understanding of the strategies of the IEC and the participatory role of its members in drawing up and voting on international standards.

Commenting on their present status of Associate Member, Sheldon pointed out that Kazakhstan was clearly committed to becoming a full IEC member enabling them to play an active part in the commission with full voting rights. At the same time, their accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and signature of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreement is already underway.

In addition to the participants from industry, regulatory bodies and officials from the National Committee, the seminar was attended by two consultants who are being sponsored by the EU and whose role in international standardization is to provide the trading and good practice support that is an intrinsic part of Kazakhstan joining the WTO.

Five experts receive 1906 Award in Argentina

The Worldwide System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical Equipment’s ninth CMC Meeting, held last June in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was also an occasion for IECEE Chairman Gosta Fredriksson and Executive Secretary Pierre de Ruvo to present five 1906 Award certificates during the event’s gala dinner. The meeting was held at the Hotel Intercontinental and was hosted by the Instituto Argentino de Normalizacion (IRAM), which is an IECEE Member Body.

Recipients who received a 1906 Award during the event were:

Rich Pescatore (United States), Hewlett-Packard USA and President of the USNC/IECEE for promoting the IECEE CB Scheme in the USA and within Hewlett Packard and as Member of the Manufacturer’s Testing Laboratories Working Group.

Bill Bryans (Canada), member of the Canadian delegation, for promoting the IECEE CB Scheme in Canada and within IBM, as well as for his role as Convenor of the IECEE CMC - Working Group 5 (Components Strategic).

Li Huailin (China), China Quality Certification Centre President and member of the Chinese delegation for promoting the IECEE CB Scheme’s activities in China.

Alberto Pederneschi (Italy), IMQ International Affairs and member of the Italian delegation for his contribution as Member of the Assessment Advisory Group and as IECEE Lead Assessor.

Bent Winther (Denmark), UL International DEMKO International Affairs Manager for promoting the IECEE CB Scheme activities as Member of various IECEE Working Groups.

Gitte Schjotz received the award for Bent Winther who was unable to attend the ceremony.

Created in 2004, the IEC 1906 Award commemorates the IEC’s year of foundation and honours IEC technical experts around the world whose work is fundamental to the IEC. The IEC 1906 Award also recognizes exceptional and recent achievement ─ a project or other specific contribution ─ related to the activities of the IEC and which contributes in a significant way to advancing the work of the Commission. Awards can be presented by the relevant National Committee president at an appropriate occasion at the national level.

For more information on the 1906 Award please contact Gisèle Pomel, Assistant to the IEC Technical Director.

IECEE is the Worldwide System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrical Equipment. It operates the CB Scheme, a multilateral agreement among certification bodies and testing laboratories around the world that recognize each other’s tests and test certificates with the goal of reducing manufacturing costs and eliminating technical barriers to trade.

(September 2006)

Anthony Raeburn
IEC General Secretary 1988-1998

As part of our centenary year, we have been publishing short articles on each former IEC General Secretary. This is the final one of the series.

Born in the United Kingdom in 1933, Raeburn began his career in the United Kingdom, graduating in physics from Imperial College, London, and then working for English Electric in RF systems. In 1960 he joined Elliott Automation (subsequently GEC-Marconi), rising to the level of division manager for airborne radar systems. He worked for two years as an engineer at IEC Central Office in the late 1960s before returning to GEC-Marconi in 1969, where he managed a number of highly successful research and development projects.

Raeburn returned to the IEC in 1988 as General Secretary and focused on making it much more of a business-minded organization by increasing cohesion amongst the national committees, stabilizing finances and improving efficiency of the standards development and production processes. During his tenure, the IEC produced its first Masterplan, the strategic policy document that guides the IEC’s long-term planning.

Raeburn is retired and lives in Switzerland.