The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) held their much-anticipated IAF-ILAC Annual Joint Meetings in Montreal, Canada, from November 6th to 15th, 2023. This event brought together key industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders from across the globe to discuss and strategize on matters pivotal to accreditation and conformity assessment. Among the attendees was Tracy Szerszen, President and Matthew Sica, Technical Program Manager. Their presence marked PJLA’s commitment to staying at the forefront of industry standards and best practices.
The thorough schedule included meetings of the ILAC Inspection Committee (ILAC IC), the ILAC Executive Committee, the IAF/ILAC Joint Development Support Committee (JDSC), as well as 15 working groups (WGs) and five task forces (TFs). These meetings provided attendees with opportunities to forge new partnerships, exchange ideas, and explore potential areas for cooperation. These interactions were crucial in strengthening relationships among accreditation bodies and fostering a spirit of collaboration in the industry.
In recent years, ILAC and IAF opted for virtual meetings due to the pandemic and were therefore unable to have official MRA signing ceremonies for new accreditation bodies and those that had expanded into new areas. Since returning to in-person meetings, PJLA was finally recognized this year for our expansion into Proficiency Testing Provider Accreditation (PTP).
As the meetings drew to a close, there was a sense of optimism and commitment among participants to work towards further enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of accreditation practices. The 2023 IAF-ILAC Annual Joint Meetings set the stage for continued advancements and collaborations that will shape the future of accreditation and conformity assessment on a global scale.
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