News & Events
Accreditation- Delivering trust in the Global Economy
June 9th 2008 has been designated as the first International Accreditation Day by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Accreditation – as independent and authoritative attestation of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) and in turn the value and credibility of the corresponding attestations of conformity – underpins trust in the global market.
The value of accreditation has been widely recognised and adopted by economies and societies worldwide. Trust, the theme for this year’s International Accreditation Day, has been chosen to highlight the way in which accreditation rules and procedures are harmonized at a worldwide level to underpin free global trade of products and services conforming to customer’s requirements and to legal requirements regarding health and safety and protection of public interests in general.
Accreditation touches, in some way, every level of our lives. When something is supplied, whether it is drinking water or complex IT systems, trust is placed in the supplier. The competence of the supplier can be evaluated through the use of third-party assessment.
But it is through accreditation of third-party evaluators that society can have confidence that when something is measured, calibrated, inspected, tested or certified the job has been done competently. The ability to distinguish between a proven, competent evaluator ensures that the selection of a laboratory or certification body is an informed and trusted choice and not a gamble.
In competitive and open markets, both government and business rely on trust to ensure a fair exchange of safe goods and services. The essential aspect of accreditation is that it underpins this confidence because it is a valid means of verifying claims about quality, performance, and reliability. With the globalization not only of trade, but of many other issues such as climate change and environmental protection, security and health, trust must be achieved on a global scale.
The use of internationally-recognised standards as the reference criteria for accreditation and the development of the ILAC and IAF Multilateral agreements are therefore key to building trust across borders and promoting best practices in conformity assessment worldwide.
EAC Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol crucial - Ekelege, 27th May 2009
Stakeholders were discussing the draft East African Community Protocol on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (EAC-SPS). Measures have been urged to consider international requirements in keeping with the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s agreement, regional aspects and national SPS peculiarities when discussing the EAC draft protocol on SPS.
TBS Director, Mr. Charles Ekelege speaking during the opening of a national consultative stakeholders' meeting on the draft EAC-SPS Protocol in Dar es Salaam recently.
The call was made recently by Tanzania Bureau of Standards Director, Mr. Charles Ekelege, when opening a national consultative stakeholders meeting on the draft EAC-SPS Protocol in Dar es Salaam.
Mr. Ekelege said the proposed protocol was in line with building capacity in food safety and quality by potential agro-industrialists through adoption and implementation of principles and practices of producing and processing safe and quality food products conforming to standards.
Already EAC has developed three draft sets of SPS measures and standards.
The draft volumes include Harmonized SPS standards - Measures and procedures for plants, Harmonizes SPS standards - Measures and procedures for mammals, birds and bees and sanitary and Harmonized SPS standards - Measures and procedures for fish and fishery products.
The international agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - also known as the SPS Agreement is an international treaty of the WTO, which was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO at the beginning of 1995.
Under the SPS Agreement, the WTO sets constraints on member-states' policies relating to food safety (bacterial contaminants, pesticides, inspection and labelling) as well as animal and plant health (phytosanitary) about imported pests and diseases.
Accreditation- Delivering trust in the Global Economy
June 9th 2008 has been designated as the first International Accreditation Day by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Accreditation – as independent and authoritative attestation of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) and in turn the value and credibility of the corresponding attestations of conformity – underpins trust in the global market.
The value of accreditation has been widely recognised and adopted by economies and societies worldwide. Trust, the theme for this year’s International Accreditation Day, has been chosen to highlight the way in which accreditation rules and procedures are harmonized at a worldwide level to underpin free global trade of products and services conforming to customer’s requirements and to legal requirements regarding health and safety and protection of public interests in general.
Accreditation touches, in some way, every level of our lives. When something is supplied, whether it is drinking water or complex IT systems, trust is placed in the supplier. The competence of the supplier can be evaluated through the use of third-party assessment.
But it is through accreditation of third-party evaluators that society can have confidence that when something is measured, calibrated, inspected, tested or certified the job has been done competently. The ability to distinguish between a proven, competent evaluator ensures that the selection of a laboratory or certification body is an informed and trusted choice and not a gamble.
In competitive and open markets, both government and business rely on trust to ensure a fair exchange of safe goods and services. The essential aspect of accreditation is that it underpins this confidence because it is a valid means of verifying claims about quality, performance, and reliability. With the globalization not only of trade, but of many other issues such as climate change and environmental protection, security and health, trust must be achieved on a global scale.
The use of internationally-recognised standards as the reference criteria for accreditation and the development of the ILAC and IAF Multilateral agreements are therefore key to building trust across borders and promoting best practices in conformity assessment worldwide.
EAC Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol crucial - Ekelege, 27th May 2009
Stakeholders were discussing the draft East African Community Protocol on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (EAC-SPS). Measures have been urged to consider international requirements in keeping with the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s agreement, regional aspects and national SPS peculiarities when discussing the EAC draft protocol on SPS.
TBS Director, Mr. Charles Ekelege speaking during the opening of a national consultative stakeholders' meeting on the draft EAC-SPS Protocol in Dar es Salaam recently.
The call was made recently by Tanzania Bureau of Standards Director, Mr. Charles Ekelege, when opening a national consultative stakeholders meeting on the draft EAC-SPS Protocol in Dar es Salaam.
Mr. Ekelege said the proposed protocol was in line with building capacity in food safety and quality by potential agro-industrialists through adoption and implementation of principles and practices of producing and processing safe and quality food products conforming to standards.
Already EAC has developed three draft sets of SPS measures and standards.
The draft volumes include Harmonized SPS standards - Measures and procedures for plants, Harmonizes SPS standards - Measures and procedures for mammals, birds and bees and sanitary and Harmonized SPS standards - Measures and procedures for fish and fishery products.
The international agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - also known as the SPS Agreement is an international treaty of the WTO, which was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO at the beginning of 1995.
Under the SPS Agreement, the WTO sets constraints on member-states' policies relating to food safety (bacterial contaminants, pesticides, inspection and labelling) as well as animal and plant health (phytosanitary) about imported pests and diseases.
see also
Consumers International
www.consumersinternational.
org
Uganda Consumers' Protection Association (UCPA)
http://ucpa.eac-quality.net
Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA)
www.tfda.or.tz
www.consumersinternational.
org
Uganda Consumers' Protection Association (UCPA)
http://ucpa.eac-quality.net
Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA)
www.tfda.or.tz