2009 - 1st Award

Osama Melhem

During the 44th CIML Meeting in Mombasa, CIML President Mr. Alan Johnston announced the winner of the first OIML Award for Excellent Achievements in Legal Metrology in Developing Countries.

The President handed over a special certificate to the winner, Eng. Osama Melhem, Director of the Metrology Department of the Jordanian Institution for Standardization and Metrology, for his outstanding contributions to the organization of metrology in Jordan and the development of legal metrology in particular.

As part of the Award ceremony Eberhard Seiler, OIML Facilitator for Developing Country Matters, explained the facts on which this decision was based. The examples he mentioned clearly showed the benefits for consumers and the contributions to fair trade in Jordan. Some of the methods are most certainly of interest to other legal metrology services, which could in turn benefit from the Jordanian experience.

The Facilitator referred to the April 2009 issue of the OIML Bulletin in which an illustrated description was published of the current situation of metrology in Jordan.

An additional project of special interest to Arabic speaking countries (and indeed regional cooperation in general) was his translation of various OIML Publications into Arabic, including the International Vocabulary of Legal Metrology and the brochure on the International System of Units, printed by the Jordanian Institution. The BIML has made these translations freely available on its Developing Countries web site.

In his words of thanks Mr. Melhem stressed the fact that the progress his country had made in legal metrology over recent years would not have been possible without the extraordinary commitment of his collaborators, who therefore also had their share in this Award.

Besides the special certificate, the Award also includes participation in an international metrology event, chosen by the winner and financed by the OIML as a mark of appreciation.

At the end of the Award ceremony the Facilitator lauded the high standard set by the first winner. He expressed his expectation that the Award will encourage others to strengthen their activities in legal metrology and called for applications for the 2010 Award.