VANCOUVER, 30 October 2017 – A Strategic Roadmap for the Quality Infrastucture of the Americas has been launched today at the Joint General Assembly of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). It supports their common goal - ‘tested, inspected or certified once and accepted everywhere’.

The Roadmap, funded by the Spanish contribution to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Trade Trust Fund, provides a high-level overview of the key topics that need to be addressed in order to leverage the collaborations between regional standards, metrology and accreditation organizations and their constituent members. This will support inclusive and sustainable industrial development, specifically, intra and inter-regional trade.

This initiative to develop a high-level strategic roadmap for Quality Infrastucture (QI) development and improvement in the Americas was conceived during the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, under the leadership of three main regional entities, namely COPANT (Standards), SIM (Metrology) and IAAC (Accreditation). Subsequently, in 2014, the three entities created the Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA), established to provide and promote effective deployment of QI in the Americas, as well as collaboration between national and regional initiatives. 

“A collaborative approach between national and regional entities to strengthen the overall QI system in the Americas is essential to support the countries along their individual QI journeys and the achievement of SDG 9“, said Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Director of UNIDO's Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation.

The Roadmap proposes five steps to provide a systematic and efficient approach to QI development in line with national and regional needs. This Roadmap should be considered as an evolving planning tool that is to be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect changing priorities, environment, contexts and the emergence of new challenges and opportunities.

For more information, please contact: 

Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation

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