ILAC-P15:07/2016 – Application of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 for the Accreditation of Inspection Bodies provides information for the application of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 Conformity assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection for the accreditation of inspection bodies. 

An amendment to clarify clause 8.1.3 was proposed by the ILAC Inspection Committee (IC) and endorsed by the ILAC membership in July 2016.  ILAC-P15:07/2016 is available here.

GCC Accreditation Center (GAC) is now a Full Member of ILAC. GAC is a multi-economy accreditation body servicing the following economies: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen.

GAC has become a signatory to the ILAC MRA for testing (ISO/IEC 17025).  GAC originally joined ILAC as an Affiliate Member in 2010 and as an Associate Member in 2014, and we are now pleased to welcome GAC as a Full Member of ILAC.

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

National Laboratories Association of Zimbabwe (NLAZ) has voluntarily withdrawn as a Stakeholder member of ILAC, effective as at 6 July 2016.

We wish NLAZ all the best for the future.

The theme for World Accreditation Day 2016 is:

Accreditation: A Global Tool to support Public Policy 

The promotional materials including the video, joint statement from the ILAC and IAF Chairs, poster and brochure are available from the Media Centre of the ILAC website.

The theme this year also supports the promotion of the Public Sector Assurance website developed by ILAC, IAF, ISO, IEC and IIOC.

 Note: This news item was initially published on 9 March 2016.

The 2015 ILAC MRA Annual Report has been published and is available here.

The report sets out the activity that is carried out as part of the peer evaluation process, developments in accreditation over the last year, new and revised publications, and signatory status updates from 2015.

General Directorate of Accreditation (DPA), Albania, is now a Full Member of ILAC.

DPA has become a signatory to the ILAC MRA for testing (ISO/IEC 17025).  DPA originally joined ILAC as an Affiliate Member in 2000 and as an Associate Member in 2007, and we are now pleased to welcome DPA as a Full Member of ILAC.

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

The signatory status of National Accreditation Office (ONA), Nicaragua, has been extended to include Inspection.

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

The Declaration of Cooperation between the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) for the establishment of the Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM), was re-signed in April 2016.  

The goal of the JCTLM is to provide a worldwide platform to promote and give guidance on internationally recognised and accepted equivalence of measurements in laboratory medicine and traceability to appropriate measurement standards. 

A copy of the signed Declaration of Cooperation is available from the partnerships page of the ILAC website.

ILAC R5:04/2016 – ILAC Procedure for Handling Complaints has been published and is available from the Publications section of the ILAC website.

This procedure outlines the ILAC process for handling written complaints against ILAC’s activities.

Centre Régional d’Evaluation en Education, Environnement, Santé et d’Accréditation en Afrique (CRESAC), Cote D’Ivoire, is welcomed as an Affiliate member of ILAC.

We welcome CRESAC and look forward to working with our CRESAC colleagues.