The Fourth Industrial Revolution is well underway. It is up to the conformity assessment sector to respond to evolving technologies and customer expectations if the acceptance and status of conformity assessment are to be maintained.
There is a growing recognition that standards are not neutral; they are experienced differently depending on someone’s gender. A lack of gender responsiveness, for example, has been shown to have health and safety implications and, given the importance of standards to the economy, undoubtedly, the lack of gender responsiveness would have implications there too.
Since their invention, the WWW and Internet have grown rapidly whilst security has lagged behind. Cybercrime has increased exponentially in the 21st century, costing the global economy more than USD 6 trillion in 2021.
In almost every country in the world, there are standardization bodies, metrological institutes, certification bodies, inspection bodies and accredited laboratories. These pillars are one of the links that build confidence in trade.
The adoption of technologies and digitalization of conformity assessment continues to evolve rapidly. To understand the latest trends, a team of researchers from BAM, TU Berlin and Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand conducted surveys in fourteen countries and collected data from over 1,300 conformity assessment bodies.
In April 2021, ISO 37301:2021, ‘Compliance management systems — Requirements with guidance for use’ was published. A compliance management system comprises all the measures, structures and processes that a company or organization establishes to ensure compliance with the norms, standards and the law.
Each year on 09 June, IAF and ILAC celebrate World Accreditation Day. We’re excited to announce the theme for WAD 2023 as Accreditation: Supporting the Future of Global Trade.
Cofrac has opened a new accreditation scheme according to ISO/IEC 17065 for the certification of natural and organic cosmetics according to the COSMOS scheme.
The Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) measures QI’s development status and dynamics worldwide. In close coordination with representatives and experts from QI bodies worldwide, key indicators were identified, the data collected, and a composite index was created.
The Arab Accreditation Cooperation held its 10th Annual Meetings in Cairo, Egypt, from 04 to 08 December 2022.
Preparation, planning and coordination were vital for O’ZAKK as a developing accreditation body to experience a fully remote peer evaluation procedure in line with the policies stipulated in the IAF/ILAC A-Series and relevant APAC documents.
The infrastructure sector is a key driver for economic growth. It is pivotal that quality and conformity are ensured in this critical sector.
IAF Outlook 