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Jordan Accreditation and Standardization Systems – Accreditation Unit (JAS-AU) hosted the closing ceremony of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization -The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
Closing ceremony of the UNIDO-SIDA regional project “Enhancing Accreditation Value Chain in the Arab Region”
4 March 2024 – Amman, Jordan
(UNIDO-SIDA) project “Enhancing Accreditation Value Chain in the Arab Region.” This was a pivotal event for all project stakeholders, as it gave a unique opportunity to show the transformative changes achieved by the UNIDO-SIDA project in the area of quality infrastructure and regional trade integration for the benefits of Arab countries.
The event successfully brought together more than 100 participants to discuss achievements and prospects for regional trade integration during a strategic event organized on 4 March 2024, in Amman, Jordan. The event was held under the patronage of, The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply of Jordan. It marked a key milestone in strengthening the regional quality infrastructure after years of collaborative efforts between ARAC and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the Arab Industrial Development, Standards, and Mining Organizations (AIDSMO).
Throughout the event, sharing knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices generated by the project, in particular by demonstrating how project interventions at three different layers (institutional support to Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC) and its members, intermediary support to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), and enterprise-level support) are interrelated and interdependent and all contributed to achieving the same objective.
The event explored the way forward and discussed recommendations for accelerating regional trade integration through potential replication/scale-up in Jordan and the entire Arab region.
The different sessions were conducted in a highly visual and interactive format by giving the floor to key project stakeholders, with a special emphasis on beneficiaries, including ARAC, CABs, and Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
ILAC 2024 Annual Summary and GLOBAC Establishment Activities
As we close the year 2024, I extend my deepest gratitude to our member organizations, stakeholders, and international partners. This year has seen tremendous progress toward our mission to harmonize accreditation, facilitating trust in CABs and CABs’ results. Notably, the year 2024 has been pivotal in the development of GLOBAC (Global Accreditation Cooperation), an initiative poised to reshape and unify international laboratory accreditation.
Enhanced Global Recognition through Expanded MRAs
ILAC has successfully expanded the Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) network, making accreditation more accessible and recognized across borders. This expansion ensures CABs’ results are accepted globally, significantly benefiting international trade and compliance.
Digital Integration in Accreditation
With an emphasis on streamlining accreditation processes, ILAC members have implemented advanced digital tools this year, facilitating remote assessments and digital certifications. This digital integration not only enhances efficiency but also aligns with ILAC’ s commitments.
The formation of GLOBAC (Global Accreditation Cooperation) has been a key focus this year. As a partnership effort among ILAC, IAF, regional accreditation bodies, and several international standard-setting organizations, GLOBAC aims to create a unified accreditation framework. This initiative seeks to streamline accreditation requirements and facilitate seamless international cooperation.
Looking Ahead to 2025:
ILAC acknowledges the contributions of each member and partner in achieving these milestones. Your dedication to excellence is pivotal as we move forward with GLOBAC and work toward a truly unified global accreditation system. Together, we are setting a new standard for international trust, quality, and collaboration.
On 1 March 2024, Cofrac opened up accreditation for the inspection of independent operators, remote service providers and their employees who need to access to information relating to the repair and maintenance of vehicles with regard to safety.
What is SERMI ?
SERMI is a European association set up to develop, operate and maintain a specific system aimed at regulating the terms of access to information and security data concerning the repair and maintenance of vehicles made available to independent operators. It is jointly managed by vehicle manufacturers and independent operators as stakeholders. The aim of the system developed by SERMI is to approve and authorize independent operators working in the European automotive aftermarket to allow them to access sensitive vehicle data, related to security, for repair and vehicle maintenance.
How was this new accreditation developed?
This system is a European initiative driven by Regulation (EC) No. 692/20081 and taken up by Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1152. The foundations laid in 2017 were reinforced by Regulation (EU) No. 2018/8583 which specifies the forum’s activities and responsibilities in Annex 10.
In 2018, the forum, now SERMI drew up the accreditation scheme and asked ENAC, the Spanish national accreditation body, to analyse and validate it at the European level. The publication of delegated regulation (EU) n°2021/12444, which will modify Annex 10, clarifies responsibilities and the implementation of the SERMI scheme, in particular with the addition of Appendix 3 on the approval and authorization procedure for independent operators’ access to safety devices.
Following these changes, SERMI amended the accreditation scheme which was formally approved by the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) in May 2023.
How does the SERMI scheme work
To meet the obligation to publish the security data required for vehicle maintenance, each manufacturer has a dedicated website with secure access. To log in and access the safety information he needs, the technician working for an independent operator needs secure authentication. The Trust Center plays a crucial role in the system. Established in the context of the implementation of this European regulation, it validates access to manufacturers’ data by authorizing requests only if they come from authorized persons. To obtain authorization keys, operators and their employees must be inspected by an accredited inspection body.
How does the introduction of the accreditation system mean?
Cofrac introduced accreditation on March 1 2024 for type A inspection bodies in compliance with EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard. Under this accreditation system, the independent operator applies to the accredited inspection body for the approval and authorization for one or more of its employees.
The inspection is carried out in two stages:
For the operational implementation of the accreditation system, the Inspection department has trained and qualified a technical assessor r with solid experience of the context and operation of operators involved in vehicle maintenance and repair. Since June 21, the first inspection body has been accredited to carry out SERMI inspections.
National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL), India PTP/RMP Conclave, 2024
The 8th PTP/RMP Conclave was held on the 30th and 31st of August 2024, organized by the NABL at Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
NABL has been hosting this annual conclave for Proficiency Testing Providers (PTPs) and Reference Material Producers (RMPs) since 2017, consistently in the month of August.
The Objective of the conclave is to address key challenges and promoting continuous improvement through competition among PTPs & RMPs. Also, the event provides the latest developments and innovations relevant to PTPs and RMPs, ensuring they stay informed and aligned with industry advancements.
The conclave was attended by about 140 delegates, including representatives from PTPs, RMPs, laboratories, distinguished dignitaries from various government and regulatory bodies.
This conclave serves as a collaborative platform for PTPs, RMPs and other stakeholders, facilitating the exchange of ideas and expertise through case study presentations.
Conclave Highlights
To address key challenges and promoting continuous improvement through competition among PTPs & RMPs, the participation of accredited PTPs and RMPs showcased expertise in proficiency testing and reference material production. Each RMP presented their specific production strategies. They presented their comprehensive production plans for reference materials, detailing their methodologies and approaches to ensure quality & consistency of production. In parallel, each PTP demonstrated their proficiency testing schemes, emphasizing the design and conduct of Proficiency testing. They discussed the challenges they encountered and the strategies employed to address them.
Panel of Experts evaluated the presentations and the top presenters were awarded trophies.
PTPs and RMPs also showcased their work through Posters. Best poster was awarded.
Announcement of 2025 Conclave
Contact Details of NABL
Ms Anita Rani
Joint Director & Head – PTP & RMP Accreditation Program
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)
Plot No. 45, Sector 44, Gurugram – 122003, Haryana, India
Phone: 91-124-4679700 (30 lines); 91-124-4594800/801/802;
Fax: 91-124-4679799
Website: www.nabl-india.org
Email: anita@nabl.qcin.org
Ouagadougou, October 10, 2024
Workshop on the accreditation needs of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) Regulators
A SOAC delegation, composed of the Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Aboubacry BARO, the Resident Representative – Director General, Marcel GBAGUIDI and the Competences Coordinator, Jean Philippe GORI, went to Ouagadougou on October 10, 2024, notably to present, during a workshop, the accreditation services which participate in implementing the priorities set by UEMOA, a West Africa Regional Regulator, to support the development of member states.
The representatives of UEMOA were the Directors and executives of the technical departments of the UEMOA Commission, notably the Department of Business Development, Mines, Energy and Digital Economy (DEMEN), the Department of Agriculture, Water Resources and Environment (DAREN), the Department of Community Land Use Planning and Transport (DATC), the Department of Human Development (DDH), the Department of Economic Policies and Domestic Taxation (DPE), and the Department of Regional Market and Cooperation (DMRC).
It should be recalled that UEMOA is a regional institution created 30 years ago that advocates the economic integration of eight West African states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo). As such, UEMOA bodies such as the Conference of Heads of State, the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of the Commission have the necessary authority to take legal acts that are mandatory in the member states. The Commission is the executive body of UEMOA. The Commission is headed by a President assisted by a college of Commissioners; the latter head specialized Departments.
Under the leadership of the current President of the Commission, Mr. Abdoulaye DIOP, the last college of Commissioners, in office since 2021, adopted a strategic document entitled “UEMOA Priority Action Framework 2021-2025 (CAP 25)”. CAP 25 identified three areas of intervention, in particular the axis 1 “Deepening the foundations of economic integration”, one of the flagship actions of which will be the development of efficient transport and transit infrastructure in the States; Axis 2 focuses on “Improving the effectiveness of sectoral interventions” with, among the flagship actions, the promotion of sustainable agriculture and the strengthening of nutritional food / food security;
Finally, axis 3 focuses on “the consolidation of institutional governance”, in particular with the establishment and operationalization of strategic steering tools, but also the establishment of steering and monitoring systems for the policies, programs and reforms of the Union.
The workshop of October 10th showed that the mobilization of testing and calibration laboratories accredited according to ISO IEC 17025 and inspection bodies accredited according to ISO IEC 17020 contributes to the development of quality transport and transit infrastructures (Axis 1). The use of these accredited bodies, in fact, makes it possible to guarantee that the service providers in charge of carrying out the infrastructures to be built will do so in accordance with the applicable standards.
The ISO IEC 17065 and ISO IEC 17021-1 accreditation standards are, for their part, intrinsically linked to the promotion of sustainable agriculture and the strengthening of nutritional food / food security (axis 2). It is, in fact, the accredited product and service certifiers who give credibility to the companies that operate in this field by certifying their products and/or their service and/or their management system.
Finally, the effectiveness of governance can be materialized by certifiers of management systems or persons respectively accredited according to ISO IEC17021-1 and ISO IEC 17024, to name but a few.
At the end of the workshop, tSOAC and UEMOA parties decided to meet again to better refine the needs in relation to the axes of CAP 25 but also in relation to the 2030 strategic plan currently being developed.
ILAC Meetings
The IAF/ILAC Mid-term meetings were held virtually during April 2024.
The IAF/ILAC annual meetings were held as an in-person event in Berlin, Germany from 1 to 10 October 2024. The ILAC General Assembly Adopted Resolutions are available here.
In addition to the in-person meetings noted above all ILAC Committees, Working Groups and Task Forces continue to progress the items on their work plans, via a combination of email and remote meetings.
Information on future meetings and events, including major regional meetings, can also be found in the ILAC Calendar.
Decision to Establish a Single International Organisation for Accreditation
In 2019, the members of IAF and ILAC made the decision to establish a single international organisation for accreditation, to replace IAF and ILAC.
Following extensive work and discussions within IAF and ILAC in 2024 the IAF and ILAC membership agreed the Constitution and General Rules for a new organization, the Global Accreditation Cooperation to take over the existing roles of both IAF and ILAC. Following the annual meetings of IAF and ILAC in October 2024, they commenced the formal process to incorporate the Global Accreditation Cooperation in New Zealand.
The target date (known as the Transition Date) for the Global Accreditation Cooperation to become operational and to take over the roles of IAF and ILAC, is provisionally January 2026. Further information on the transition and exact date will be issued by the end of April 2025.
The ILAC MRA
The scope of recognition of the recognised regions to the ILAC MRA is available from Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ilac.org)
Information on the acceptance of calibration, testing and inspection results programs provided by PTPs and reference materials produced by RMPs via the ILAC MRA is available from ILAC MRA and Signatories International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
There are currently 116 signatories to the ILAC MRA representing 118 economies. The ILAC MRA covers recognition for accreditation in the areas of calibration (ISO/IEC 17025), testing (ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing (ISO 15189), inspection (ISO/IEC 17020), proficiency testing providers (ISO/IEC 17043) and reference material producers (ISO 17034). The list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from the ILAC MRA Signatory Search.
The ILAC MRA Annual Report 2023 and associated infographic was published in June 2024 and is available from ILAC Promotional Brochures International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
Work to extend the ILAC MRA to include the accreditation of biobanks has now reached the stage where applications for recognition can be accepted. This follows the publication of the revised supporting documents as outlined in the resolution adopted during the 25th ILAC General Assembly in 2022: ILAC Resolution GA 25.09 The General Assembly endorses the recommendation of the ARC to extend the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to include accreditation of biobanking as a Level 2 activity, to the criteria specified in the Level 3 normative document, ISO 20387. ILAC will therefore accept applications for recognition as soon as the documents within ILAC applicable to the MRA are updated to cover this new scope.
Case studies and research on the recognition of the ILAC MRA by governments and regulators are available from the Public Sector Assurance website. The website is a collaborative initiative of the INetQI members and there are over 330 case studies, 90 research papers and 60 supporting materials available to view.
The Business Benefits website is a reference website designed to demonstrate the monetary value of standards, conformity assessment and accreditation for businesses. The website represents another successful collaboration of the INetQI partners with over 95 case studies categorised into 6 areas of value. All of the case studies identify a clear financial benefit. The site also includes more than 75 research papers.
Both the Public Sector Assurance and the Business Benefits websites contain a dedicated search function for each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case studies on these sites are now all linked to applicable goals.
ILAC Membership
The ILAC membership as of 20 November 2024 is:
The ILAC membership consists of 158 organisations from 133 different economies worldwide. Over 93,279 laboratories, 14,549 inspection bodies, 746 PTP and 308 RMP are accredited by the ILAC Full Members (signatories to the ILAC MRA). The latest statistics and graphs on the number of accreditation bodies, accredited laboratories, inspection bodies, PTPs and RMPs are available from the ILAC Facts & Figures page.
ILAC Executive Committee
In 2024 the Executive met virtually and held in-person meetings.
Meetings of the IAF and ILAC Joint Executive Committees (JEC) were held in February, June, September and October 2024.
ILAC Liaisons and other International Activities
The current list of ILAC liaison activities includes:
ILAC Liaisons with ISO and ISO/CASCO Policy Committees
ILAC Liaisons with ISO/CASCO Working Groups/Task Forces
ILAC Liaisons with Other Organisations
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and ILAC have reviewed and re-signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August this year. The re-signing of the ITU-IAF-ILAC MoU continues to support and strengthen the three organisations’ commitment to cooperation and collaboration and the ongoing development of ITU-T’s Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) programme.
On 8 February 2024 IAF, ILAC and OIML renewed the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was first signed on 28 October 2007. The latest version marks over 16 years of formalised cooperation between the three organisations, and re-confirms the commitment to closely collaborate. Details of the MoU can be found here.
On 9 July 2024 ILAC and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities formalised their longstanding collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou). Details of the MoU can be found here.
Information on ILAC’s partnerships, including copies of communiqués, joint procedures, press releases and MoUs, is available from the ILAC Partnerships Page.
ILAC Secretariat
Ms Nyaki Halimana will return to Secretariat duties on 2 December. Ms Stephanie Sun will finish her temporary engagement on that date. We welcome Nyaki back to the Secretariat, and thank Stephanie for her work in the interim.
Documents and Brochures
Publications finalised and released during 2023 and 2024 include:
ILAC Factsheet 05/2023 Specifying Accreditation in Regulation
ILAC-P5:11/2023 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement: Scope and Obligations
ILAC-P8:11/2023 ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement): Supplementary Requirements for the Use of Accreditation Symbols and for Claims of Accreditation Status by Accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies
ILAC-P9:01/2024 ILAC Policy for Proficiency Testing and/or Interlaboratory comparisons other than Proficiency Testing
ILAC-R6:11/2023 Structure of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement and Procedure for Expansion of the Scope of the ILAC Arrangement
IAF/ILAC A1:06/2023 IAF/ILAC Multi-Lateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements
IAF/ILAC A2:06/2023 IAF/ILAC Multi-Lateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements (Arrangements): Requirements and Procedures for Evaluation of a Single Accreditation Body
IAF/ILAC A3:06/2023 IAF/ILAC Multi-Lateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements (Arrangements): Template report for the peer evaluation of an Accreditation Body based on ISO/IEC 17011:2017
IAF/ILAC B3:09/2023 Accreditation: Supporting safe food and clean drinking water
IAF/ILAC B5:09/2023 Accreditation: Facilitating world trade
IAF/ILAC B6:09/2023 Accreditation: Delivering confidence in the provision of energy
IAF/ILAC B8:09/2023 Accreditation: Delivering confidence in construction and the built environment
IAF/ILAC B9:09/2023 Accreditation: A global tool to support Public Policy
Follow @ILAC_Official on “X” (formerly Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/company/ilac-accreditation/ on LinkedIn to receive the latest ILAC news, including information on meetings, events, liaison activities and new publications.
The April 2024 edition of the ILAC Newsletter is available from News-and-Events/ILAC Newsletter (ilac.org). The next edition will be published before the end of November 2024.
Subscribe to the latest news to receive updates from ILAC members and liaisons.
Prepared by the ILAC Secretariat on 20 November 2024.
IAF and ILAC have launched the 2025 World Accreditation Day (WAD) poster contest, to select a design for the official WAD 2025 poster. WAD, which takes place yearly on 09 June, highlights how accreditation benefits businesses, industry, regulators and consumers. The 2025 theme is Accreditation: Empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs are essential to the global economy, driving innovation, creating jobs and supporting local communities. However, these businesses often face challenges such as limited resources, competition and difficulty accessing markets. One tool that SMEs can use to address these challenges is conformity assessment, which can provide assurance that their products, services, processes or procedures meet specified requirements. Accreditation of a conformity assessment body confirms that the body is competent and reliable, providing confidence in its results.
Through accredited conformity assessment, SMEs can demonstrate their commitment to quality, safety, sustainability and compliance with recognized best practices. This can strengthen their reputation and consumer confidence, helping SMEs to attract and retain customers. Additionally, SMEs can increase their business opportunities and market access by proving their compliance with standards and regulations.
Accredited conformity assessment can aid SMEs in identifying areas for improvement in their operations, such as enhancing product quality and streamlining processes. For SMEs seeking funding, accredited conformity assessment can improve access to financial support, by signaling lower risk to lenders and investors. It can also enable the SME to meet requirements for government grants or incentives.
The IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) and ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) provide an infrastructure that allows accredited conformity assessment results to be recognized around the world. They enable the acceptance of products and services across borders, by removing the need for them to undergo additional tests, inspections or certification in each economy where they are sold.
IAF and ILAC welcome all interested parties to explore how accreditation empowers SMEs in the 2025 WAD poster contest, with a chance of winning the first-place prize of 1,500 USD or the second- or third-place prizes of 500 USD.
Individuals can submit up to three entries at https://tinyurl.com/ypdbyhpd by the submission deadline of 02 January 2025, 23:59 UTC. The contest rules, including instructions for how to submit entries, are available here.
Posted on behalf of Eurolab
Dear EUROLAB Members and Contacts,
IMEKO TC24 (Technical Committee on Chemical Measurements) would like to invite you to attend the next event of the series ‘IMEKO Talks on Chemical Measurements’.
It will be held on the 28th of November 2024 at 1 p.m. (CET – Rome time)
Title of the talk: LNG – a milestone toward a new era
Presenter: Dr. Aleksandra Aleksić (NIS Gazprom Neft a.d.)
Short description of the discussion topic:
Energy diversification and decarbonisation are topics greatly emphasized in the last few years in the media, even though sometimes sufficient technical rigour is not used. Among the various possibilities for their implementation, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and LNG terminals are globally recognized as interesting solutions in many ways. It seems that natural gas should certainly be a transit to the new energy horizon for several reasons. LNG is a relatively new industry branch that in a short period has to play the key role in the shift from the old to a completely new energy policy. Such a complex task opens up many others, thus driving science to new frontiers in many different fields. It implies great advances both in science and in industry and a replacement of so-called dirty with clean energies. Apart from the fact that this change seems inevitable, is it realistic and even possible? The session will present the LNG value chain and its role in the current energy landscape.
It is an online and free event (held on MS Teams platform); you can find the link on the IMEKO website: https://www.imeko.org/index.php/tc24-homepage/tc24-events/talks
Duration: about 45 minutes.
For additional information please contact: tc24.imeko@gmail.com
Posted on behalf of Eurolab
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming webinar on Guidelines for the Management of Digitalised Systems in Laboratories Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, scheduled on 27 November 2024, from 10:00 to 12:00 CET. This session will explore EUROLAB’s new Technical Report, offering insights on managing digitalised processes in ISO/IEC 17025-compliant laboratories.
Webinar Highlights
You can register for the event here: Event Registration Page.
Registration fee: 70 € (all ticketing fees included).
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to enhance your knowledge and apply the latest digital management guidelines in your laboratory!
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) have begun the process of incorporating the Global Accreditation Cooperation, a single international organization for accreditation. The target date for the Global Accreditation Cooperation to become operational, taking over the roles of IAF and ILAC, is provisionally January 2026.
To provide regulators, specifiers and other stakeholders with information on the transition to the Global Accreditation Cooperation, IAF and ILAC have released a communication on specifying the use of Global Accreditation Cooperation accreditation. The communication addresses the transition from the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) and ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to the Global Accreditation Cooperation MRA, the use of the IAF MLA and ILAC MRA marks, and other related issues. Until the target date and establishment of the internal processes and procedures of the Global Accreditation Cooperation, IAF and ILAC will maintain normal operations.
IAF and ILAC are encouraging our members, regulatory bodies, scheme owners and other stakeholders to collaborate on making any necessary changes to regulations and specifications as soon as possible after the target date. This will aid in a smooth transition to the Global Accreditation Cooperation, which is positioned to improve the acceptance and recognition of accredited conformity assessment results across borders.