Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)
The Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) is a regional cooperation of accreditation bodies and other organizations involved in conformity assessment activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Established to enhance accreditation practices and conformity assessment systems, APAC plays a critical role in facilitating trade and ensuring the quality, safety, and environmental suitability of products and services within and outside the region.
It was established in 2019 by the amalgamation of two former regional accreditation cooperations – the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC), initiated in 1992, and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), initiated in 1995.
APAC's mission is to ensure that organizations involved in certification, testing, inspection, and calibration services meet stringent standards of competence and integrity. This harmonization of standards helps reduce technical barriers to trade, thereby promoting economic integration and market access throughout the Asia-Pacific region. As a recognized regional cooperation body under the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), APAC members participate in mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs). These arrangements are essential for ensuring that test results and certifications issued in one member economy are accepted in others without the need for further testing, which significantly streamlines international trade.
The cooperation also focuses on capacity building among its members through training, peer evaluations, and sharing of best practices. These activities are crucial for maintaining the credibility and reliability of accreditation services across different countries in the region. By upholding robust accreditation practices, APAC enhances consumer protection, supports public health and safety, and fosters environmental conservation. For more detailed information about APAC’s initiatives, governance, and the benefits of accreditation, please visit their official website.
Institutions
- ASQ - American Society for QualityIEC - International Electrotechnical CommissionISO - International Organization for StandardizationInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF)International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)GFSI & The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)
- CEN CENELECAssociation Française de Normalisation (AFNOR)Comité Français d'Accréditation (COFRAC)Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN)Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS)Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione (UNI)Italian Accreditation Body - AccrediaNederlands Normalisatie Instituut (NEN)Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA)Asociación Española de Normalización (UNE)Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (ENAC)Swedish Standards Institute (SIS)Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC)Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV)Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS)British Standards Institution (BSI)United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)Austrian Standards (AS)Akkreditierung AustriaBureau de Normalisation (NBN)Belgian Accreditation Body (BELAC)Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing (ÚNMZ)Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI)Danish Standards (DS)Danish Accreditation Fund (DANAK)Finnish Standards Association (SFS)Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS)Hungarian Standards Institution (MSZT)National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB)National Accreditation Body of Hungary (NAH)Romanian Accreditation Association (RENAR)Polish Committee for Standardization (PKN)Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA)Instituto Português da Qualidade (IPQ)Portuguese Institute for Accreditation (IPAC)Romanian Standards Association (ASRO)Federal Accreditation Service (RusAccreditation)Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart)Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST)Bulgarian Institute for Standardization (BDS)Bulgarian Accreditation Service (BAS)Croatian Standards Institute (HZN)Croatian Accreditation Agency (HAA)Cyprus Organization for Standardization (CYS)Icelandic Standards (IST)Institute for Standardization of Serbia (ISS)Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS)Belarusian State Centre for Accreditation (BSCA)Belarusian State Committee for Standardization (BELST)Icelandic Accreditation (ISAC)Latvian Standard (LVS)Latvian National Accreditation Bureau (LATAK)European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
- Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT)Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO)Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación (IRAM)Organismo Argentino de Acreditación (OAA)Instituto Nacional de Normalización (INN)Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (ICONTEC)Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia (ONAC)Fondo para la Normalización y Certificación de la Calidad (FONDONORMA)Instituto Uruguayo de Normas Técnicas (UNIT)Organismo Uruguayo de Acreditación (OUA)
- South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS)Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC)Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ)Institut Algérien de Normalisation (IANOR)Algerian Accreditation Body (ALGERAC)Ethiopian Standards Institute (IES)Ethiopian Accreditation Service (EAS)Ghana Standards Authority (GSA)Ghana National Accreditation Service (GhaNAS)Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS)Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS)Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS)Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS)Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI) - TunisiaTunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC)Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS)
- National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (BSN)Standardization Administration of China (SAC)China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS)Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC)Japan Accreditation Board (JAB)Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO)Saudi Accreditation Committee (SAC)National Accreditation Body of Indonesia (KAN)Standards Institution of Israel (SII)Israel Laboratory Accreditation Authority (ISRAC)Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM)Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC)Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS)Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB)Singapore Standards Council (SSC)Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC)Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS)Korea Accreditation Board (KAB)Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK)Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA)Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC)Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB)Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS)Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (COSQC)Iraqi Accreditation System (IQAS)Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO)Jordan Accreditation Unit (JAC)National Standards And Quality Department (NSQD) MyanmarSri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI)Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB)Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology (MASM)Mongolian National Accreditation System (MNAS)Institute of Standards of Cambodia (ISC)Cambodia Accreditation Council (CAC)Iran National Standards Organization (INSO)National Accreditation Center of Iran (NACI)GCC Standardization Organization - GSO