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ILAC is an international cooperation between the various laboratory accreditation schemes operated throughout the world. ILAC first started as a conference in 1977 with the aim of developing international cooperation for facilitating trade by promotion of the acceptance of accredited test and calibration results.
ILAC was formalised as a cooperation in 1996 when 44 national bodies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Amsterdam. This MOU provided the basis for the further development of the Cooperation and the eventual establishment of a multilateral recognition agreement between ILAC member bodies.
On 2 November 2000, 36 laboratory accreditation bodies, full members of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), from 28 economies worldwide, signed an “arrangement” in Washington, DC to promote the acceptance of technical test and calibration data for exported goods.
Over 40 laboratory accreditation bodies have signed the multi-lateral, mutual recognition arrangement (the “ILAC Arrangement”) to promote the acceptance of accredited test and calibration data. This “ILAC Arrangement” provides significant technical underpinning to international trade.
The key to the Arrangement is the developing global network of accredited testing and calibration laboratories that are assessed and recognised as being competent by ILAC Arrangement signatory accreditation bodies. The signatories have, in turn, been evaluated by their peers (against the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011) and shown to meet ILAC’s criteria for competence. Now that the ILAC Arrangement is in place, governments can take advantage of it to further develop or enhance trade agreements.
The ultimate aim is increased use and acceptance by industry as well as government of the results from accredited laboratories, including results from laboratories in other countries. In this way, the free-trade goal of “a product tested once and accepted everywhere” can be realised.
As part of its global approach, ILAC also provides advice and assistance to countries that are in the process of developing their own laboratory accreditation systems. These developing systems are able to participate in ILAC as associate members, and access the resources of ILAC's more established members.
In conjunction with ILAC, specific regions have also established their own accreditation co-operations, notably in Europe (EA) and the Asia-Pacific (APLAC). These regional co-operations work in harmony with ILAC and are represented on ILAC's board of management. ILAC is encouraging the development of such regional co-operations in other parts of the globe.
Hence ILAC is the world's principal international forum for the development of laboratory accreditation practices and procedures, the promotion of laboratory accreditation as a trade facilitation tool, the assistance of developing accreditation systems, and the recognition of competent test facilities around the globe.