As a result of the recent ILAC Arrangement Council ballot, The Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA) has been granted recognition as regional cooperation body of ILAC. The endorsed AMC recommendation is shown below:

The ILAC AMC recommends that recognition of the SADCA MRA to the ILAC MRA be granted: 

• for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025. 

It is recommended that the first re-evaluation of SADCA is scheduled to begin no later than August 2025.

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

We extend our congratulations to SADCA and look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues from SADCA.

The signatory status of Oficina Guatemalteca de Acreditación (OGA), Guatemala, to the ILAC MRA was suspended on 16 March 2023. This suspension to the ILAC MRA is a result of the suspension of OGA from the IAAC MLA and in accordance with IAF/ILAC A2 Annex 7.

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.