Introducing
Global Accreditation
Cooperation Incorporated

Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated is the official name of the organisation. An acronym and permanent website URL will be announced in April 2026.

The roles and responsibilities of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated members, the Executive Committee and the Secretary are defined by the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Constitution (GOV-001), General Rules (GOV-002) and Code of Conduct (GOV-003). It comprises:

• General Assembly – all members – responsible for strategic decisions, elections, and approvals;
• Executive Committee – elected representatives from Full Members, Stakeholder Members, and Regional Cooperation Bodies – responsible for day-to-day oversight and the implementation of resolutions approved by the General Assembly;
• Officers – Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary – responsible for leadership and representation; and
• Committees and Working Groups – established by the General Assembly or Executive Committee to carry out technical, policy, and administrative tasks.

Recognition by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated provides several important benefits:

• International Acceptance: Accreditation decisions made by recognised accreditation bodies are generally accepted by regulators, businesses, and consumers in many economies, reducing duplication and technical barriers to trade;
• Global Credibility: Recognition affirms that the accreditation body or Regional Cooperation Body (RCB) operates according to international standards and has undergone rigorous peer evaluation;
• Participation in Governance: Recognised bodies may participate in technical and policy development, contributing to the direction of international accreditation; and
• Access to the MRA Mark: Recognised accreditation bodies and their accredited conformity assessment bodies may be licensed to use the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA Mark, enhancing trust in the certificates and reports of their accredited CABs.

Recognition strengthens global cooperation and ensures that accreditation serves as a reliable tool for quality assurance, public protection, and market access.

Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated has four membership categories:

1. Full Member: Accreditation body members that have been accepted by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated as Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA signatories, and meet the requirements and obligations for Associate Members as specified in the Bylaws.
2. Associate Member: Accreditation body members that have not yet been accepted as Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA signatories, but self-declare that they conform with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011 and the application requirements and obligations for Associate Members as specified in the Bylaws.
3. Stakeholder Member: Associations of conformity assessment bodies, user associations, standardisation organisations, metrology organisations, regulators, scheme owners, associations of scheme owners, or representatives of regulatory schemes.
4. Regional Cooperation Body Member: Regional cooperations of accreditation bodies that establish and maintain a multilateral mutual recognition arrangement based on a peer evaluation system.

Individuals and individual conformity assessment bodies are unable to become a member of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated directly but may be able to join one of the associations that are a Stakeholder Member of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated.

If your organisation is interested in Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated membership, please review the associated membership criteria in Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated General Rules (GOV-002) before contacting the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Secretariat.

For a full list of current members, view our member lists.

Membership in Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated is not automatic for existing IAF and ILAC members. They must formally apply for membership under the new legal and governance framework.

• Existing IAF and ILAC members have been invited to submit a membership application to join Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated in 2025. There is no application fee for existing members to join the new organisation.
• Their applications are subject to the independent approval process of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, as administered by its General Assembly.
• Membership criteria were developed during the first half of 2025, including requirements to comply with applicable laws, such as sanctions legislation under New Zealand jurisdiction.

Other organisations that are not currently members of IAF or ILAC may formally request the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated application form via the Secretariat at secretariat@global-accreditation.nz. Applications from new organisations will be accepted from 1 January 2026.

Applicants are expected to:

• Select the appropriate membership category (Full, Associate (Non-MLA/MRA signatory), Stakeholder, or Regional Cooperation Body);
• Submit an application; and
• Accept obligations under the Constitution (GOV-001), General Rules (GOV-002), and related procedures.

Accreditation bodies, which have been evaluated by peers as competent, have signed an arrangement, the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA), that enhances the acceptance of goods and services across national borders.

The purpose of the MRA is to ensure mutual recognition of accredited conformity assessment activities such as certification, testing, inspection, validation and verification between signatories to the MRA, and subsequently acceptance of accredited conformity assessment in many markets based on one accreditation.

Signatories must recognise and support acceptance of certificates, reports and statements issued by organisations accredited by all other signatories of the MRA, provided the certificates, reports or statements are issued within the scope of the IAF MLA signatory.

This recognition and acceptance removes technical barriers to trade (TBT) by reducing redundant conformity assessment.

Accreditations granted by IAF MLA signatories can be recognised worldwide based on their equivalent accreditation programs, reducing costs and adding value to business and consumers.

The scope of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) includes two components, main scope and sub-scope.

Currently there are eleven main scopes in the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA: Testing, medical testing, calibration, certification of management systems, certification of persons, certification of products, inspection, validation and verification, proficiency testing provision, reference material production and biobanking.

Sub-scopes are divided into two categories (Level 4 and Level 5), as described in section 4 of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA-001: Multilateral Recognition Arrangement: Structure, Scope and Obligations.

• The Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) provides governments and regulatory agencies with a credible and robust framework on which to further develop and enhance government-to-government bilateral and multilateral international trade agreements.
• It represents an internationally recognised ‘stamp of approval’ to demonstrate compliance against agreed standards and requirements. Consequently, risk is minimised, as decisions will be based on reliable conformity assessment results.
• Many specifiers, such as government agencies, have recognised the importance of credible accreditation programs that are developed against internationally recognised standards. Accreditation and the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated MRA help regulators meet their own legislated responsibilities by providing a globally recognised system to accept accredited testing, certification, inspection, validation, verification and other conformity assessment activities.
• The longer-term aim is the fully accepted use and recognition, by both public and private industries, of accredited conformity assessment results, including certificates, reports and statements from other economies. In this way, the free-trade goal of ‘accredited once, accepted everywhere’ will be realised.

Both IAF and ILAC have previously signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with several international organisations. These MoUs reflect both organisations’ commitment to forge stronger links and strategic partnerships with key players operating in their sphere of work. Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated plans to renegotiate these existing international MoUs as a means of advancing our common interests.

Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated will also pursue strategic cooperation with other informal liaison partners, such as international and intergovernmental organisations, to promote confidence in accreditation and support cross-border acceptance of conformity assessment results.

Interactions with international bodies may include:

• Liaison and cooperation agreements with international standards bodies (e.g., ISO, IEC);
• Observer or partner roles in regulatory and trade forums;
• Collaboration with United Nations agencies, international trade organisations, and development partners;
• Participation in working groups and technical committees; and
• Technical input or endorsement of frameworks aligned with Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated’s mission.

These activities will be coordinated under policies established by the Executive Committee and General Assembly, in line with the organisation’s broader objective to promote international recognition of accreditation outcomes. While not detailed in the General Rules (GOV-002), these functions are consistent with Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated’s purpose as defined in the Constitution and its strategic development.

Regional Cooperation Bodies (RCBs) (previously known as Regional Accreditation Groups in IAF) will maintain the same roles as in IAF and ILAC. RCBs will be evaluated every four years by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated for compliance with documented requirements.

RCBs play an essential role in supporting Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated by contributing to the multilateral recognition framework and peer evaluation processes.

Their roles include:

• Carrying out peer evaluations of accreditation bodies in their regions in alignment with Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated policies;
• Contributing to the peer evaluations of other RCBs by providing experienced evaluators to Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated;
• Offering regional input to technical and policy development;
• Facilitating coordination between regional and global accreditation systems; and
• Participating in governance processes where appropriate, such as serving on technical or advisory groups.

As noted in the General Rules (GOV-002) Section 4.3, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated recognises the important contributions of RCBs and encourages their involvement in supporting its global objectives. Accreditation bodies are also required to be members of the relevant RCB if such membership is available.

Balanced participation is achieved through the following mechanisms:

• Their own dedicated forum (Stakeholders’ Committee) within the structure of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated;
• Defined representation rules in governance bodies to ensure both accreditation bodies and stakeholders are included;
• Separate membership categories with limited voting rights for Stakeholder members of up to 20% of the total Accreditation Body votes, as defined in the General Rules (GOV-002). Stakeholders are not entitled to vote on MRA issues;
• Open and inclusive nomination processes for officers and committee positions; and
• Regional representation through cooperation bodies participating in designated roles.

These principles are embedded in the Constitution (GOV-001) and detailed in the General Rules (GOV-002), ensuring fair representation across accreditation bodies, stakeholders, and regions.

Yes, if they become members of Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated. Provided that the signatory is a Full Member or a recognised Regional Cooperation Body of the IAF MLA and/or the ILAC MRA they shall be accepted as signatories of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated Arrangement, in accordance with the scopes and dates of approval currently endorsed by the IAF MLA Committee and the ILAC Arrangement Council.

Yes, but not in their current capacities. Both IAF and ILAC will cease active operations following their respective dissolution plans.

• IAF will discontinue all membership and operational activities. The current IAF Board of Directors will act as a caretaker Board and will remain in place until wind-up has been finalised.
• ILAC will be formally dissolved following approval by its General Assembly. All remaining financial, legal, and governance matters will be finalised in accordance with the ILAC Articles of Association.

During this period, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated will operate as a distinct entity under New Zealand law, independent of both IAF and ILAC.

Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated and its members will be able to use the IAF MLA Mark and/or the ILAC MRA Mark for a period of time, until the new organisation’s mark is available and the IAF MLA Mark and ILAC MRA Mark are transitioned out of the marketplace.

The work of accreditation bodies, conformity assessment bodies, scheme owners, Regional Cooperation Bodies etc. will continue as normal, with no interruptions in their services.

The launch of full operations has been carefully planned to minimise disruptions to services for all members.

To ensure continuity:

• Recognition processes are being carried over or revalidated under Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, based on the results of the most recent peer evaluations;
• Use of the IAF MLA and ILAC MRA Marks will be governed by appropriate temporary arrangements until they will no longer be used or needed; and
• Peer evaluations and stakeholder engagement activities will continue under new procedures, with oversight by the Executive Committee.

While IAF and ILAC will formally cease normal operations by 31 December 2025, the new organisation will be fully operational from 1 January 2026, ensuring no service gaps.