Kazakhstan expands cooperation in the field of accreditation

At the General Assembly of the leading international accreditation organizations ILAC and IAF, held in Bangkok, Thailand, the National Accreditation Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Accreditation Center of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed documents aimed at expanding cooperation between the NCA and the Gulf Cooperation Council Accreditation Center (GAC), and between the NCA and the German Accreditation Authority (DAkkS).

Following negotiations and meetings, NCA Director General Iskander Khamitov and GAC Director General Moteb Almezani signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two organizations.

The signed document covers assistance in resolving accreditation issues within mutual trade, cooperation in the exchange of information and experience in accreditation, including in the field of halal, the involvement and participation of Kazakhstani experts in assessments, and collaboration to strengthen cooperation within international and regional accreditation organizations.

Bilateral negotiations and a meeting with Dr. Stephan Finke, Director General of the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS), were also held. The meeting resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at strengthening the partnership between the NCA and DAkkS, expanding the exchange of experience, information, and best practices in accreditation, and developing joint initiatives to enhance the competence of conformity assessment bodies.

The agreements reached open up new opportunities for strengthening partnerships and developing practical interactions between accreditation bodies and Kazakhstan's priority partner countries.

For reference:

ILAC is an international laboratory accreditation cooperation organization uniting 116 accreditation bodies from 118 countries that have signed the ILAC MRA.

The IAF is an international accreditation forum uniting 86 accreditation bodies from 101 countries that are signatories to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Accreditation in Certification (IAF MLA).

The National Accreditation Center of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been a full member of both organizations since 2010 and 2013, respectively.