The General Conference on Weights and Measures ( - CGPM) is the senior of the three Inter-governmental organizations established in 1875 under the terms of the Metre Convention  to represent the interests of member states. The treaty, which also set up two further bodies, the International Committee for Weights and Measures (- CIPM) and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures ( - BIPM), was drawn up to coordinate international metrology and to coordinate the development of the metric system.