Accreditation is an endorsement of a conformity assessment body’s (CAB’s) competence, credibility, independence and integrity in carrying out its conformity assessment activities. ISO’s formal definition of accreditation is “third party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.” (ISO/ IEC 17000:2004)
Accreditation provides an assurance to government, business and the consumer that organizations providing certification to a standard have the required competence and impartiality to do so as evidenced by fulfillment of international standards and requirements. Accreditation helps to underpin the credibility and performance of goods and services.
IAF Members work together on a worldwide basis to achieve common trade facilitation objectives by developing the principles and practices for the conduct of conformity assessment that will deliver the confidence needed for market acceptance.
IAF promotes the worldwide acceptance, of certificates of conformity issued by certification bodies accredited by an IAF MLA signatory and seeks to add value for all stakeholders through its activities and programs.
As a result, IAF’s slogan becomes extremely suggestive: “Certified Once, Accepted Everywhere”.