RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Trade commemorated World Metrology Day 2026 by holding educational activities and strengthening legal metrology services. The commemoration, which falls every May 20, carries the global theme “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making.”

Through this theme, the Ministry of Trade emphasized the importance of accurate, reliable, and accountable measurements as the basis for public policy-making. Metrology is also considered important to ensure that trade transactions are fair, transparent, and accountable.

Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance at the Ministry of Trade, Moga Simatupang, said legal metrology plays a strategic role in maintaining fairness and public trust in transaction activities.

“Legal metrology has a strategic function in ensuring fairness and trust in transaction activities. In accordance with the mandate of Law Number 23 of 2014 on Regional Government, the implementation of legal metrology, particularly verification and reverification services as well as supervision, falls under the authority of the Jakarta Provincial Government and regency/city governments. Therefore, synergy between the central and regional governments in supervision is very important to ensure the validity of trade transactions while strengthening consumer protection,” Moga said, as quoted from an official statement on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

World Metrology Day refers to the signing of the Metre Convention in Paris in 1875, which marked the birth of the global measurement system. The commemoration has also been officially recognized by UNESCO to be observed every May 20.

One of the main activities this year was a national webinar held in collaboration with the Deputy for National Measurement Standards of the National Standardization Agency, or SNSU-BSN. The webinar was attended by more than 700 participants from ministries and agencies, Legal Metrology Units, universities, laboratories, the private sector, and the general public.

Meanwhile, Director of Metrology at the Ministry of Trade, Sri Astuti, said legal metrology is an important pillar in building trust in national trade. The strengthening of the legal metrology system is being carried out through cooperation between the Directorate of Metrology, the Directorate General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance of the Ministry of Trade, and 394 Legal Metrology Units across various regions.

“This strengthening is carried out to ensure measurement accuracy in trade transactions, thereby providing protection for consumers and business certainty for business actors,” Sri said.

Sri added that the government continues to strengthen legal metrology services through the revision of the Legal Metrology Law, digitalization of information systems, enhanced supervision of measuring instruments and pre-packaged goods, as well as the strengthening of infrastructure and human resource competence.

Education for the public and business actors is also being intensified to build a culture of measurement compliance, especially in strategic sectors such as fuel stations, rice, cooking oil, and LPG. This step is aimed at ensuring that the public receives their right to accurate and fair measurements.