IAF/ILAC Joint Annual Meetings 2024

The IAF/ILAC Joint Annual meetings (1-10 October 2024) had their usual collection of lively and impassioned debate, key decisions and future looking new idea discussions.

Sustainability and AI are two of the key hot topics and the IAF Sustainability and IAF Digital Transformation Working Groups both looked at a number of issues where accredited conformity assessment can help addressing the pressing priority issues in these areas. The Sustainability Working Group (which IIOA Chief Executive Marcus Long is the Vice Chair of) looked at a range of issues including partnership with other sustainability-focussed organisations, support for sustainability legislation such as non-financial reporting and prioritising the huge range of sustainability issues, legislation, regulation and schemes.

On AI, the IAF AI Task Force is looking to develop a set of principles for AI relating to accreditation and conformity assessment. This was felt to provide the right balance so that all stakeholders are comfortable with how AI is both used by accreditation and assurance bodies and vitally how conformity is robustly confirmed as part of audits and other conformity assessment activity.

Other key meetings included the IAF Management System Certification Working Group, where IIOA’s Charlene Rice (SGS) co-convened the meeting with ANAB’s Lori Gillespie. Key areas for discussions were the impending deadline for data entry to IAF CertSearch and managing the transition and introduction of revised and new standards respectively.

The IAF Food Working Group had input from a range of the major food schemes and an interesting update on work by UNIDO on benchmarking.

The IAF Technical Committee brings together the conclusions of many IAF Working Groups and Task Forces. IIOA’s Chief Executive Marcus Long acted as vice chair to Chair Kevin Belson (UKAS). One of its key responsibilities is the IAF liaisons to priority partners group, such as ISO Technical Committees, ISO CASCO Working Groups, other international bodies and schemes. Improvements will continue to be made to how this is managed.

The other significant event was moving closer to the formation of the new global accreditation organisation, the combination of IAF and ILAC.  The ILAC and IAF Chairs and Vice-Chairs officially started the registration process of the Global Accreditation Cooperation (GLOBAC) with IAF and ILAC members in attendance. This step comes after ILAC and IAF members approved the GLOBAC Constitution and General Rules.   

In addition, IIOA Chief Executive Marcus Long was appointed as Chair of the IAF Communications and Marketing Committee. A key role as IAF (and ILAC) transition towards the new organisation, Marcus will return to the IAF and Joint IAF/ILAC Executives Committees.