IAF Conformity Assessment Advisory Committee

IIOA Chief Executive Marcus Long’s second three year term as Chair of the IAF‘s Conformity Assessment Bodies Advisory Committee (IAF CABAC) concludes on 15 November 2023 at the IAF General Assembly.

IAF CABAC is one of two stakeholder groups within IAF and sits alongside our sister organisation UAC – the Users Advisory Committee. IAF CABAC represents the conformity assessment body association members of IAF, such as IIOA. These groups have global, regional and national memberships, enabling a rich range of different views ensuring that the dialogue, decisions and actions of CABAC come from a wide-ranged set of perspectives.

Marcus comments, ‘Over the past six years of my term as IAF CABAC Chair, there have been considerable issues in both quantity and magnitude to deal with and key changes to manage and plan for. Of course the pandemic is perhaps the most significant. I am very proud of the leadership IAF CABAC took, driving through much of the reaction to the pandemic, ensuring that accredited conformity assessment could continue to be delivered and most importantly trusted.

Of course it is the future which is most important and IAF CABAC will work on three strategic issues:

• As IAF and their partner organisation ILAC look to combine, ensuring that all stakeholders continue to play their vital role in the new organisation is imperative.
• Sustainability/ESG is becoming dramatically more important, with sustainability reporting and performance improvement key areas where accredited conformity assessment can deliver fundamental benefits.
• IAF celebrates 30 years this year – at the heart of this history has been the IAF’s Multilateral Agreement (MLA). As IAF states, ‘The purpose of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) is to ensure mutual recognition of accredited certification and validation/verification statements between signatories to the MLA, and subsequently acceptance of accredited certification and validation/verification statements in many markets based on one accreditation.’ Working to promote the MLA is as important as ever, so the accredited conformity assessment system can continue to deliver benefits for global trade, improved sustainability and for all other issues.’

With IAF as one of IIOA’s key partners, IIOA will continue to be highly active and participatory, co-convening groups, contributing to consultations and driving the way forward in all appropriate areas of IAF, singularly aimed at improving the system for all.’

Hear from Marcus on IAF CABAC’s work and separately on the key priorities moving forward