The International Accreditation Forum, Inc. (IAF) is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation Bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment. Its primary function is to develop a world wide program of conformity assessment which will promote the elimination of non tariff barriers to trade.
IAF membership includes accreditation bodies from nations in all parts of the world, industry representatives and accredited certification/registration bodies, in an international organisation which seeks to encourage development of a single world-wide system of mutual recognition of conformity assessment certificates.
IAF's objectives include facilitating trade and commerce, in accordance with World Trade Organisation policies, by establishing a Multilateral Mutual Recognition Agreement (MLA) based on the equivalence of accreditation programmes operated by accreditation body members, verified through peer review among those accreditation body members.
IAF works to find the most effective way of achieving a single system which allows companies with an accredited conformity assessment certificate in one part of the world to have that certificate recognised everywhere else in the world.
IAF aims to facilitate world trade by working to remove technical barriers that may flow from demands for specific certification and/or registration of management systems, products services, personnel and other programs of conformity assessment.
IAF promotes the international acceptance of accreditations granted by its MLA signatory accreditation body members, based on the equivalence of their accreditation programmes.
Accreditation is increasingly being used by regulators and the market as an impartial, independent and transparent means of assessing the competence of conformity assessment bodies. IAF provides the technical basis for the world-wide recognition of the competence of the bodies accredited by its members, realising the concept "tested or certified once - accepted everywhere."
All members of IAF are committed to adopt policies and procedures in their own operations which facilitate trade, in conformity with the World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
Both accreditation body and certification / registration body members are committed to base their own conformity assessment procedures upon standards or guides developed by ISO/CASCO, and adopted in accordance with ISO/IEC rules.
Where members of IAF provide a conformity assessment service to meet market needs, but ISO/IEC standards or guides developed by ISO/CASCO, and adopted in accordance with ISO/IEC rules are not available for that service, the members commit themselves to ensure that the standards they use are developed in accordance with the principles in Articles 5 & 6 on Conformity Assessment (consensus driven open process) of the World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
The IAF Website: www.iaf.nu