Accreditation is the independent evaluation of conformity assessment bodies against recognised standards to ensure their impartiality and competence to carry out specific activities, such as tests, calibrations, inspections and certifications.

The IAF operates in the fields of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation and verification and other similar programmes of conformity assessment, while laboratory and inspection accreditation is managed at the global level by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

Through the application of national and international standards, government, procurers and consumers can therefore have confidence in the calibration and test results, inspection reports, certifications and validation and verification statements provided.

Accreditation bodies are established in many countries with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body.