- Welcome Guest
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National Centre of Accreditation of the Republic of Moldova (MOLDAC), is now an Associate member of ILAC.
MOLDAC originally joined ILAC as an Affiliate Member in 2001 and we are now pleased to welcome MOLDAC as an Associate member of ILAC.
The WADA-ILAC Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was initially signed on the 15th November 2007 at the World Conference on Doping in Sport, held in Madrid, Spain.
The purpose of the ILAC-WADA partnership is to formally recognize the technical competence of anti-doping laboratories. This then improves the international community’s confidence in the fight against doping in sport.
The WADA-ILAC MoU was resigned on 2 November 2016 by the WADA Senior Director, Science and the ILAC Chair at the ILAC General Assembly in New Delhi, India.
A copy of the WADA-ILAC MoU is available here.
We welcome National Accreditation Authority (NAH), Hungary, as a Full Member of ILAC.
NAH joined ILAC as an Associate Member on 9 November 2016 and has become a signatory to the ILAC MRA for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025 and medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189, via the EA MLA.
We welcome NAH as a Full Member and look forward to working with our NAH colleagues.
The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.
ILAC and IAF, the global accreditation associations, have contributed to research conducted by OECD to analyse the impact of international organisations (IOs) in supporting regulatory co-operation. The research identified that International Organisations (IOs) play a growing role as standard setting bodies in supporting regulatory co-operation with evidence showing that IOs contribute to International Regulatory Cooperation (IRC) by:
The OECD gathered unique evidence from 50 international organisations on their governance, operational modalities, rule-making practices and approaches to assessing implementation and impacts, which is presented in the report “International Regulatory Co-operation: The Role of International Organisations in Fostering Better Rules of Globalization”, published 2 November 2016. This comparative analysis takes into account the diversity of mandates, expertise and strengths of the 50 participating IOs.
By establishing the international accreditation arrangements based on the mutual recognition of certificates and reports issued by conformity assessment bodies, the development 0f common rules and policies, and the harmonizing of accreditation practices, the report identified that ILAC and IAF play a growing role in supporting regulatory co-operation.
This OECD work on IRC and IOs is part of a broad study into the various mechanisms available to governments to promote regulatory co-operation, and their benefits and challenges.
A full copy of the report is available here.
UNIDO has published a new brochure which highlights the contribution of accredited conformity assessment services to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNIDO’s vision to address today’s economic, social and environmental challenges is enshrined in the Lima Declaration, adopted by the UNIDO Member States in December 2013. On this basis, UNIDO pursues “Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development” to harness industry’s full potential to contribute to lasting prosperity for all.
17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 associated targets constitute the core of the UNIDO 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These provide a new development framework that seeks to transform the world and guide all global, regional and national development endeavors for the next 15 years. UNIDO’s programmatic approach is guided by three interrelated thematic priorities: creating shared prosperity, advancing economic competitiveness and safeguarding the environment.
Maintaining strategic partnerships and technical cooperation’s, together with the use of standards and compliance related activities, also form an important part of UNIDO’s approach. The relationship between UNIDO, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and ILAC is one such partnership. This strategic partnership in the field of accreditation enables UNIDO, IAF and ILAC to coordinate activities in complementary and mutually supportive areas of operation, in order to enhance the impact of industrial development on economic growth.
More information is available here.
The significance of an accreditation system for trade and the economy, as well as practical advice for the establishment of accreditation bodies, are the focus of a newly released publication titled, “Establishing accreditation in developing economies – A guide to opening the door for global trade”.
Prepared by the United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO), in cooperation with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the publication was launched at the ILAC – IAF Joint General Assembly. The guide aims to support the common goal of “tested, inspected or certified once and accepted everywhere”.
It is comprised of two parts. The first part focuses on the need for accreditation and the benefits that an accreditation system can bring to good governance. It provides policymakers with a framework for establishing an accreditation body or partnering with neighboring economies to form a shared system, which can bring an economy closer to its trading partners through mutually exclusive recognized arrangements of accreditation.
The second part offers comprehensive practical advice and building blocks to those who are tasked with establishing an accreditation body. It presents information on the essential operational requirements for accreditation bodies, and outlines available resources, as well as potential challenges. Case studies then follow to offer an illustration of practical applications of the guidance provided in the publication.
“Not only does an accreditation system have benefits for improving trade flows, it also delivers many benefits internal to an economy. Examples include providing confidence in non-trade arenas, such as the monitoring and measurement of progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and their associated targets,” said Ll Yong, the Director General of UNIDO.
A copy of the brochure is available here.
The 20th ILAC General Assembly held in New Delhi, India from 26 October to 4 November 2016 has resulted in the adoption of ILAC Resolutions GA 20.13 and 20.14.
These resolutions will allow the extension of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to incorporate the accreditation of Reference Material Producers (RMPs) to the criteria specified in ISO 17034, which replaced ISO Guide 34:2009 in November 2016.
More information is available here.
As a result of the ILAC/IAF peer evaluation and recent ballot of the voting members of the ILAC Arrangement Council, the recognition of the EA MLA to the ILAC MRA has been 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.
The next re-evaluation of EA is scheduled to begin in July 2018.
Details of EA are available from https://ilac.org/ilac-mra-and-signatories/recognised-regional-cooperation-bodies/
The latest edition of the bi-annual ILAC Newsletter, Issue 50 – October 2016, has now been published. The newsletter includes international, regional, and national updates on accreditation and conformity assessment from ILAC members and liaisons as well as the ILAC Chair and Secretariat.
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