EIAC Updates International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation

EIAC Updates

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EIAC attended ISO meetings

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC), Ms. Amina Ahmed Mohammed and other staff members attended the ISO annual meetings held on 19-23 September 2022 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Ms. Amina who is also the Chair of Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC) participated as panelist in the ISO Session titled “Has covid launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment “. Mr. Marcus Long Chief Executive of Independent International Organisation for Certification (IIOC) was the moderator of this ISO session.

During a Q & A session, she said the accreditation community did organize itself promptly as soon as the pandemic was announced, fast response working groups were created, and both organizations shifted their work to remote work and applied their extraordinary event procedures that existed before the pandemic. ILAC and IAF did also make sure that the confidence in conformity assessment result is preserved especially during the pandemic where these services are sometimes literally vital. A website was created to collect questions and publish FAQs and guidance, this allowed Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and stakeholders from around the world to continue providing their services in a harmonized and effective way.

She further said, facing to such extraordinary event, there was surely a need to harmonize practices worldwide, that’s why ILAC, IAF and the regional Accreditation Groups did promptly establish the mechanisms to have an agreement on the way to continue providing CA services while preserving the confidence in the Multilateral arrangements. This is not limited to the pandemic situation. The pandemic did maybe accelerate the process, but the accreditation community was since many years harmonizing its digital work and the adaptation to new technologies imperatives.

In response to another question she said, the main purpose of accreditation is to provide confidence in the competence of the conformity assessment services provided within the national, regional and global quality infrastructure. By building this trust, accreditation facilitates trade, allows for comparability of results worldwide, and hence consumer protection and economic growth. With the development of new schemes and emergence of new industries that require conformity assessment activities, accreditation adapts by gathering the experts from around the world to establish the chain of trust and cover it by it Multilateral recognition arrangements.

^{Photo: EIAC CEO participating in ISO panel discussion.}

EIAC accredited Kazakhstan Standards for Halal Certification

Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) accredited the Halal Certification Department of Kazakhstan Institute of Standardization and Metrology according to UAE halal standards. Ms. Amina Ahmed Mohammed CEO of EIAC presented the accreditation certificate in presence of Prime minister of Kazakhstan His Excellency Alikhan Smailov and Minister of Energy of UAE His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei in a prestigious ceremony held in Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi.

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan along with his delegation was on a working visit to the UAE.

^{Photo: EIAC CEO presenting accreditation certificate to KAZ standards.}

Ras Al Khaimah Police – the first Forensic Investigation Unit in Gulf Region to get accreditation according to the ISO/IEC 17020

The Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) has granted accreditation to the Forensic Investigation Unit of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Police in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17020 for the scopes of Questioned Documents, Fire and Arson Investigation, Forensic Autopsy & Histopathology, Clinical Forensic Medicine and Women and Child Examination. Ras Al Khaimah police is the first police unit in gulf region that got ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation for the subject scope.

Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven Emirates of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is known for its pharmaceutical, ceramics, cement industries, international trade through RAK Ports. Tourism is also a booming sector in Ras Al Khaimah. Its sandy beaches and islands attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

EIAC received approval from ISQuaEEA

The External Evaluation Award Committee (EEAC) of the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQuaEEA) has endorsed the

EIAC Accreditation Standard for Healthcare Providers after independent assessment.

The EIAC Accreditation Standard for Healthcare Providers covers the scopes of Hospitals, Clinics, Day Surgery Centers, Fertility Centers, Home Health Services, Medical Tourism and Telehealth Services.

Arab regional forum on voluntary Third-Party Assurance (vTPA)

EIAC CEO participated in Arab Regional Forum on Voluntary Third-Party Assurance in Food Sector Approach and Modalities in the Arab Region, which was held in Amman, Jordan.

The forum was conducted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in cooperation with the Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Ms. Amina Ahmed Mohammed CEO of EIAC and Chair of Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC) addressed the forum. She gave overview of the food safety quality assurance programs in the arab region. She informed the participants that a similar voluntary Third-Party Assurance (vTPA) certification scheme for Food establishments/ Food Business Operators (FBOs) was introduced in Dubai in 2008. The scheme was based on Codex Alimentarius CAC/RCP 1-1969 and regulatory body Food Control Department’s Requirements. She informed that Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) which was known as Dubai Accreditation Department (DAC) at that time initiated and started the accreditation scheme for third party food safety management systems certification bodies to certify food establishments/ Food Business Operators (FBOs) for HACCP based requirements. She said the EIAC’s experience can be utilized throughout the region in this regard.