Tasks of the ISO 3166/MA
Some International Standards contain code lists or similar items which need continuous updating. The standard solution within ISO for achieving this up-dating is to set up a group of experts in charge of the job. These groups of experts are called maintenance agencies and they are named after the standard they maintain.
The ISO 3166/MA is in charge of ISO 3166 Parts 1, 2 and 3. Its principal tasks are
- to add and to eliminate country names (respectively, country subdivision names) and to assign code elements to them;
- to publish lists of country names (respectively, country subdivision names) and code elements;
- to maintain a reference list of all country code elements and country subdivision code elements used and their period of use;
- to issue newsletters announcing changes to the code tables;
- to advise users on the application of ISO 3166.
Most users of ISO 3166 do not get into contact with the experts on the ISO 3166/MA but much rather with the secretariat of the maintenance agency. The secretariat provides organizational support to the ISO 3166/MA and serves as a contact point for users of ISO 3166-1.