Signatories to the IAF MLA
The IAF MLA has been structured to build on existing and developing regional MLAs established around the world. As of 2022, IAF had formally recognised the MLA programs of five RAGs:
- European co-operation for Accreditation (EA)
- Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (APAC)
- Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC)
- ARAB Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC)
- African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC)
ABs recognised under the MLAs of Recognized RAGs may apply to the IAF for recognition under the IAF MLA on the basis of the acceptance of the mutual recognition arrangements established within these organisations.
Membership in the IAF MLA is facilitated by membership in the Recognized RAGs’ MLAs for recognised programs. IAF members who are also signatories of these regional MLAs can be accepted into the IAF MLA for recognised programs.
Originally, unaffiliated ABs applied directly to IAF to become an IAF MLA signatory. Since the end of 2018, there are no unaffiliated IAF Member ABs as all IAF AB members are now also members of a RAG.
The South African Development Community Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA) became an IAF MLA signatory in 2023, and has been included in the statistics that follow.
The number of signatories to the IAF MLA has grown in recent years, providing confidence to businesses and regulators in a greater number of economies. A full list of IAF MLA signatories is available in IAF MLA MC 17 and new IAF MLA signatories and scope extensions, as noted during the 2022 IAF General Assembly, are referenced in Annex 2 of this report. The graphs below show the evolution of the number of signatories at the regional level for different MLA scopes.
