As a young assessor and enthusiastic accreditor budding in the mid-90s, my first introduction to ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) was during the early 2000s when the fortification of the primary group of 36 full members was signed in Washington DC. This was an emotional, highly anticipated and technically intriguing moment for those who were near, far and for those directly or indirectly influenced by conformity work.  

Every single existing accreditation body (AB) or those under development during that period were filled with awe, apprehensions and more importantly did not realise the effect it would have in years to come. Many did not grasp or understand the fundamental objectives of ILAC at that time, because of the need to focus on reducing technical trade barriers and the importance of acceptance of accreditation bodies by regulators. There was a fundamental need for global market cohesion and the future existence of ILAC depended on regulatory acceptance. However, many existing accreditation bodies were not fully designed to handle the vast majority of testing, calibration and inspection activities within and beyond their national borders. Government and Regulators were not ready to hand over their reins to self-acclaimed third-party accreditation bodies, in fear of having lower technical vigilance over domestic, export and import markets.

The founders of ILAC were men and women of integrity and strength. They were leaders, mentors and role models for many. All those accreditors and accreditation bodies that wished to track their path of safeguarding impartiality, independence, trust, transparency and technical rigor soon followed in their promising footsteps and have now become leaders in their own right for many ABs around the world. Since then, ILAC has done plenty to promote the acceptance of endorsed reports and certificates across governments, regulators, national and state borders. This is and shall be, the full member accreditation bodies’ invaluable contribution and testament to the current acceptance of ILAC across many international spheres in WTO, ISO, UN, geographic regions and many more circles, boasting over 121 signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), to date. The MRA means signatories have formally agreed to accept the results of each other’s accredited conformity assessment bodies as equivalent. If the value proposition of this obligation becomes delusional, then going forward, the ILAC MRA may suffer consequences in promoting free trade. Maintaining this obligation has become an uphill challenge.

ILAC’s expansion from offering acceptance of 2 scopes (testing and calibration) in 2000 to a formidable technical variety of scopes over the last 25 years since its incorporation in 1996 is impressive, largely, due to the vigilant work by the respective secretariats, multi-lateral control of tasks and the passionate and intense support from many technical volunteers from across the globe. Those volunteers inadvertently played crucial roles in keeping ILAC relevant and ‘in the moment’, enabling ILAC to achieve its practical objectives in a planned and harmonious manner. This ethos cascaded into ILAC’s regional cooperation bodies and their regional secretariats who further continued to work tirelessly around the clock to ensure their members are managed, informed, educated and held accountable for their decisions. THE VOLUNTEERS ARE THE TRUE PILLARS OF ILAC.

ILAC largely relies on ISO for the generation of standards intended for the application in laboratories, inspection bodies and other types of conformity assessment activities. The signatory accreditation bodies under ILAC then ensure these standards are used appropriately for their intended purposes by their accredited conformity assessment bodies. However, in the recent past there has been a proliferation of standards spawned by ISO and ISO CASCO work groups. The acceptance of some of these standards in conformity work has become controversial, partisan and created regional domination with self-serving interests. Maybe the ILAC reincarnate will be able to maintain control and a sense of restraint when evaluating new standards and schemes used for accreditation and certification purposes.  Conformity structures are already complex to say the least.

It truly has been a great run for ILAC and now it’s time for the merger with International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to become GLOBAL ACCREDITATION COOPERATION INCORPORATED. This new organisation is challenged to define how it will contain the two complex former organisations and what will be the overall consequence of the merger. So, fellow accreditors must do what was done in the past with ILAC and IAF, that is to contribute selflessly. Only active volunteers can bring about consensus change, while the silent majority remain just that ‘silent’. Participation enhances personal growth and is the organisational flagship that will create change for the betterment of conformity structures and assessments.

Volunteering time in committees and in executive positions is the only way to ensure the new establishment can grow, flourish and persist formidably as the one before.

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_{Index: CASCO – Committee on Conformity Assessment; IAF – International Accreditation Forum;}

_{ILAC – International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation; ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation;}

_{WTO – World Trade Organisation; UN – United Nations}

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_{Author:  Mohan Sabaratnam, Senior Vice President, International Accreditation Service (IAS)}