Globe of North America

North American Accreditation Forum (NAAF) launches with SCC VP as Vice-Chair

The North American Accreditation Forum (NAAF), a non-profit spearheaded by accreditation bodies across North America, was just launched on June 9, 2023. 

It provides a platform for accreditation bodies, industry associations and companies in Canada, the United States and Mexico to communicate and coordinate activities related to the global conformity assessment community. Elias Rafoul, Vice-President, Accreditation Services at the Standards Council of Canada, is taking the helm as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors, sharing his extensive expertise and leadership to this endeavor.

NAAF boasts a distinguished lineup of founding members. These organizations specialize in accrediting testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and certification bodies, among other vital areas.
 

  • Accreditation Canada Diagnostics
  • AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs, LLC,
  • American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)
  • ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)
  • Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation Inc. (CALA)
  • entidad mexicana de acreditación, a.c. (ema)
  • International Accreditation Service (IAS)
  • National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP)
  • Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation, Inc. (PJLA)
  • Standards Council of Canada (SCC)
  • United Accreditation Foundation (UAF)

Crucially, the founding members are signatories to international arrangements such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Forum (ILAC) and/or the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) as well as signatories to Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC). These organizations help reduce technical barriers to trade between countries by fostering robust mutual recognition of accreditation bodies' results through comprehensive peer reviews.

NAAF also promotes open and competitive conformity assessment practices among accreditation bodies on a global scale, providing customers and conformity assessment bodies with free choice and access to competent accreditation services. 

The organization remains unwavering in its commitment to championing the principles outlined by the World Trade Organization (WT) and the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) thereby promoting confidence in accreditation and fostering an environment of vibrant global fair trade.

Membership in NAAF is open to accreditation bodies and non-accreditation body members, both within and outside of North America, that share a common vision and embrace the mission and scope of NAAF.

For more information about NAAF, visit www.na-af.org.