Why on Earth Be(come) an IUPAC Member?

During my term in office, the number of member countries in the Union has grown slowly but gradually, and today IUPAC has 51 full members.* Although this is a significant accomplishment, the number could be considerably higher, so IUPAC has invested a lot of energy in recruitment initiatives. This effort has made clear that a large portion of the global chemical community is unaware of IUPAC membership benefits. Moreover, even chemists from member countries do not always understand the advantages of being an IUPAC member. This column, therefore, is an attempt to reiterate the benefits IUPAC provides to individual chemists and member countries. I believe that IUPAC members who have a solid understanding of IUPAC membership benefits help to strengthen IUPAC and our recruitment efforts.