The signatory status of Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS), Korea, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Proficiency Testing Providers (ISO/IEC 17043) and Reference Materials Producers ISO (17034).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

As a result of the recent ILAC Arrangement Council ballot, the continuation of the recognition for the Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) as a recognised regional cooperation body of ILAC has been confirmed. The endorsed AMC recommendation is shown below:

The ILAC AMC recommends that the scope of recognition of the IAAC MLA to the ILAC MRA be:
 

• continued for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189, inspection bodies using ISO/IEC 17020, proficiency testing providers using ISO/IEC 17043 and reference material producers using ISO 17034.
   

It is recommended that the next re-evaluation of IAAC is scheduled to begin no later than September 2025.

Information on the recognised regions including IAAC to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/ilac-mra-and-signatories/recognised-regional-cooperation-bodies/

We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues from IAAC.

The JCGM Member Organizations recently approved the document GUM-6 (formerly numbered JCGM 103) Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement‐Developing and using measurement models. It is available from the BIPM website:  https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/guides/

It is also accessible via the JCGM link on the ILAC website: https://ilac.org/publications-and-resources/non-ilac-publications/

The signatory status of Tunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC), Tunisia, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Medical Testing (ISO 15189).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

IAF and ILAC have released the fourth episode of our Accreditation Matters podcast, which features discussions with international experts on important matters to the international quality infrastructure community and the way that accreditation supports regulators, global trade and consumers.

In this episode, Dr. Aparna Dhawan interviews Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento and Dr. Stefanie Vehring on the circular economy and how accreditation can support industry in the transition to more sustainable products and processes as well as the importance of accreditation in the verification of circular economy claims.

Listen to the episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts or Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube.

The World Metrology Day project is realised jointly by the BIPM and the OIML and is celebrated on 20 May each year.

The theme for 2023 ‘Measurements supporting the global food system’ was chosen because of the increasing challenges of climate change, and global distribution of food in a world whose population reached 8 billion at the end of 2022. 

More widely metrology, the science of measurement, plays a central role in scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade, in improving the quality of life and in protecting the global environment.

The 2023 World Metrology Day website is now live and can be accessed here. The website includes the Press Release, Directors’ Message and a promotional poster which is available in English and French.

Please feel free to access these materials and use them to support and promote the importance of metrology and World Metrology Day.

The signatory status of International Accreditation Service, Inc (IAS), USA, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Medical Testing (ISO 15189).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

The signatory status of the Accreditation Education Research and Scientific Services Center Pvt. Ltd (AERSSC), Nepal to the ILAC MRA was suspended on 3^rd January 2023. This suspension to the ILAC MRA is a result of the suspension of AERSSC from the APAC MRA and in accordance with IAF/ILAC A2 Annex 7.

Happy New Year, I am looking forward to 2023 being a year of successful processes and good controls for our decisions that will benefit all ILAC members, partners and interested regulators.

In the past year, despite being a challenging year that required all of us to continue working with a new normal, including conducting our activities online, we managed to fulfill all our plans and even beyond.

The ILAC set of policy documents and internal work procedures that bind all of us as members continue to be managed and implemented in an exceptional way by the ILAC secretariat, the committee Chairs and members and the ILAC Executive.

The work of the IAF/ILAC Steering Committee continues on our mega project, one international organisation for accreditation, with the issue of stakeholder voting rights currently being considered via ballot and the tender for the Secretariat being drafted.

Applications for the recognition of the accreditation of Biobanks from the regions are now being accepted following the publication of ILAC P4, P5 and R6. This evaluation of applicant regional cooperations for this scope is the final stage in the process for extending the ILAC MRA to include the accreditation of biobanks.

ILAC and IAF reviewed and re-signed the MoU with The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), supporting and strengthening our commitment to cooperation and collaboration to the ongoing development of ITU-T’s Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) programme.

ILAC also signed the Joint Statement of Intent On the Digital Transformation in the International Scientific and Quality Infrastructure.

In 2022 we again held a competition for the design of the World Accreditation Day (WAD) poster, again took our WAD event online and saw excellent engagement and launched a joint podcast series.

Finally for 2022, the latest edition of ISO 15189 was published, so all ABs that accredit Medical Labs, now have 3-year implementation period (i.e. until Dec 2025) to ensure accredited medical laboratories comply with this latest edition of the standard.

The year ahead will be challenging and brings with it a variety of activities and face-to-face meetings following three years of on-line only meetings. 2023 will see us consider and require us to make significant decisions to maintain our standing in the world as an international accreditation organization with the tagline ‘accredited once, accept everywhere’.  In making these decisions we must maintain the trust of all our stakeholders and international organizations with whom we have mutual recognition agreements. Above all, we will continue to improve the work and cooperation between us, the members of ILAC, and those that wish to join, in a professional manner and respecting the decisions made by all members.

 Happy new year, prosperity, fulfillment, and success.

We welcome Quality and Accreditation Institute, Centre for Laboratory Accreditation (QAI CLA), India, as a Full Member of ILAC.

As QAI CLA is a signatory to the APAC MRA for the accreditation of testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025 and medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189, QAI CLA has been granted signatory status to the ILAC MRA and therefore, Full membership of ILAC. 

We welcome QAI CLA and look forward to working with our QAI CLA colleagues.

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.