In 1990, an important step towards the international harmonisation of radiation protection and safety took place: an Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety (IACRS) was formed as a forum for consultation on collaboration in radiation safety matters between international organisations. The IACRS initially comprised the following organisations:

• European Commission (EC)
• Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) (now defunct)
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Labour Organisation (ILO)
• OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
• United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)
• World Health Organisation ( WHO).

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) joined subsequently.

The following organisations have observer status:

• International Commission on Radiological Protection
• International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The objective of the IACRS is to promote consistency and co-ordination of policies with respect to the following areas of common interest: applying principles, criteria and standards of radiation protection and safety and translating them into regulatory terms; co-ordinating research and development; advancing education and training; promoting widespread information exchange; facilitating the transfer of technology and know-how; and providing services in radiation protection and safety. Within this framework, the Sponsoring Organisations established a Joint Secretariat for the preparation of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources, the 'Standards', contained in this publication. The Joint Secretariat was co-ordinated by the IAEA. The Standards supersede the previous basic international standards and reflect knowledge gained subsequently and developments in radiation protection and safety and related fields.