Following the recent ILAC Arrangement Council ballot, the continuation of recognition for the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) as a Recognised Regional Cooperation of ILAC, has been confirmed.  The recommendation endorsed by the Arrangement Council members is noted below:

“The ILAC AMC recommends that the recognition of the APLAC MRA should be continued for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189 and inspection bodies using ISO/IEC 17020.  It is recommended that the next re-evaluation of APLAC be carried out following the standard 4 year period, that is by June 2017.”

The signatory status of the Tunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC) has been extended to include inspection.

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

ILAC News Published

The 46th edition of ILAC News has been published and is available here.

National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine (NAAU) is welcomed as a Full Member of ILAC.

NAAU has become a signatory to the ILAC MRA for testing (ISO/IEC 17025) and calibration (ISO/IC 17025) via the EA MLA.  We welcome NAAU as a Full Member and look forward to continuing working with our NAAU colleagues.

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

A new brochure titled “Accreditation: Delivering confidence in the provision of Energy” has been published and is available here.

This brochure promotes the role accreditation plays in providing confidence in the provision of energy.

ILAC G19:08/2014 Modules in a Forensic Science Process has been published and is available here.

This document is intended to provide guidance for forensic science units involved in examination and testing in the forensic science process by providing application of ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17020.

The signatory status of Cyprus Organisation for the Promotion of Quality (CYS) – Cyprus Accreditation Body (CYSAB) has been extended to include calibration.

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

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has accepted a proposal from ISO, IEC, ILAC and IAF to host a joint session at the WTO’s Annual Public Forum to promote the role that standards and accreditation play in trade facilitation.  

Standards and accreditation are referenced in the WTO TBT Agreement and play an important role in trade facilitation. However, according to “Improving Regulatory Governance: International Standards and the WTO TBT Agreement”, (Issue 5 – October 2013) by Erik Wijkström and Devin McDaniels, 30% of trade concerns related to ISO, 12% to the IEC, and 10% to ILAC. The appropriate application of standards and accredited conformity assessment therefore has the potential to resolve these concerns to the benefit of both industrialised and developing economies. 

A common core principle of ISO, IEC, IAF and ILAC is to facilitate trade through the removal of technical barriers to trade, and so the session will therefore be closely aligned to the umbrella theme ‘Why Trade matters to everyone’ of the 2014 Public Forum. The session will take place on 1st October at 1700. Further information on the Public Forum can be read here.

ILAC P15:06/2014 – Application of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 for the Accreditation of Inspection Bodies has been published and is available here.

This document provides information for use by both accreditation bodies and inspection bodies on the application of ISO/IEC 17020.

ILAC P9:06/2014 – ILAC Policy for Participation in Proficiency Testing Activities has been published and is available here.

This document sets out the policy for accreditation bodies on the use of proficiency testing activities in the accreditation process.