New ARAC member: Syrian Arab Organization For Standardization & Metrology (SASMO)

Further growth in the Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC) membership has been achieved with the acceptance of the Syrian Arab Organization For Standardization & Metrology (SASMO) as an ARAC Associate Member in December 2023. ARAC now has 23 members covering 21 Arab countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen).

Capacity and refresher ARAC Peer Evaluators training course, 08 & 09 December 2023

This workshop aimed to review changes in ARAC and ILAC/IAF requirements and share experience amongst evaluators to maintain best practices and introduce improvements in the procedures. The training was based on both presentations and group work.

All participants had the opportunity to participate in the case studies and group exercises provided during the workshop, which were followed by group discussions and presentations from representatives.

Transition regional workshops: FSMS CBs (20 & 21 March 2024)

Following the publication of ISO 22003-1:2022 Food safety – Part 1: Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems and IAF MD 27 Transition Requirements for ISO 22003-1:2022, ARAC organized these workshops to help accreditation bodies (ABs) and ARAC peer evaluators successfully transition to the new version of this standard.

This workshop focused on the key updates and critical changes, outlining the transition considerations that shall be taken by ABs and food safety management systems certification bodies.

Activities to Promote the IAF MLA and ILAC MRA: ARAC Stakeholders Community Workshop in Saudi Arabia

The awareness stakeholder workshop was conducted on 11 December 2023 with the participation of more than 70 participants from the ARAC stakeholder community representing conformity assessment bodies (CABs), regulatory authorities, industry and trade associations, and consumer associations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

During this workshop, participants stressed the role that ARAC plays in the development of the accreditation and conformity assessment infrastructure in the KSA. This workshop aimed to give stakeholders in the KSA a better understanding of the value of accreditation and accredited services, and in particular, for regulators to recognize and accept accredited conformity assessment results covered under the IAF MLA, ILAC MRA and ARAC MLA.

Election of new ARAC EC members

During the 11th ARAC General Assembly meeting held in December 2023, Riyadh, KSA, the following individuals were elected:

• Mr Adel Alkeaid (Saudi Accreditation Center [SAAC], KSA), elected as ARAC Chair,
• Mrs Lana Marashdeh (Jordanian Accreditation System, Accreditation Unit [JAS-AU], Jordan), elected as ARAC Vice Chair,
• Mr Brahim Houla (GCC Accreditation Centre [GAC], GCC Countries), elected as ARAC MLA Committee and MLA Group Chair,
• Mr Qasim Al-Shamsi (Emirates International Accreditation Centre [EIAC], United Arab Emirates [UAE]), elected as Capacity Building Committee Chair,
• Mr Ali Almarzouq (Saudi Accreditation Center [SAAC], KSA), elected as Communication and Marketing Committee Chair,
• Mrs Maryam Alsallaqi (Emirates National Accreditation System [ENAS], UAE), elected as ARAC Associate members representative.

Congratulations to them and our best wishes for successful mandates!

ARAC’s Pioneering Capacity-Building Initiative in the Arab Region

Led by ARAC, the Arab region celebrates the remarkable successes of the Capacity Building Program held from June 2023 – March 2024, with more than 2200 participants from CABs and ABs in the Arab region.

This Capacity Building Program has led to significant enhancement of technical skills among professionals in CABs and ABs, through a series of targeted workshops, training sessions, and hands-on experiences.

Read more here.

ARAC upcoming events

• June 2024: Arab Accreditation Week
• July 2024: ARAC Mid-Term Meetings
• January 2025: 12th ARAC Annual Meetings