Each year on 09 June, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and ILAC celebrate World Accreditation Day (WAD) alongside our members, partners, stakeholders and other organizations in the field of conformity assessment. The theme of WAD 2024 will be Accreditation: Empowering Tomorrow and Shaping the Future.

This theme will highlight the role that accreditation can play in shaping various aspects of life, from technology to transportation, sustainability to security, and inclusivity to innovation, as digitalization, new technologies and growing sustainability concerns continue to change our world.

IAF and ILAC will explore how accreditation enables the development of innovative technologies, and how it can facilitate the integration and adoption of these technologies, particularly in industries and supply chains where precision, safety and quality are critical. We will examine the important role of accreditation in promoting trust in digital technologies, including by supporting cybersecurity and privacy. We will also highlight how accreditation supports sustainability, helping businesses and consumers make informed choices. In each of these areas, mutual recognition arrangements such as the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) and the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) play a vital role in enabling organizations to transcend geographical borders and industry boundaries.

This theme relates to many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

IAF and ILAC will be releasing a joint statement by the IAF and ILAC Chairs, a brochure, a poster and a video for use in celebrations, as well as hosting a virtual event. Additionally, case studies and research on benefits that accreditation can provide in support of this theme are available on the Public Sector Assurance and Business Benefits websites.

We encourage everyone to celebrate with us online using the hashtag #WAD2024, to attend our virtual event and to contact your local accreditation body for further details on local media and online seminars and programs they may be organising. A list of IAF Members is available here, and a list of ILAC Members is available here.

Follow IAF (@IAF_Global) and ILAC (@ILAC_Official) on Twitter, and IAF on LinkedIn (International Accreditation Forum Inc) for the latest updates.