The General Assembly accepted with appreciation the invitation by JAS-ANZ and NATA to host the 2007 Annual Meetings in Australia.

The General Assembly received and accepted the list of apologies for non-attendance and accepted the notifications of proxies by members

The General Assembly adopted the draft agenda (ref IAF–AM–04-002 Ver2).

The General Assembly approved the draft Minutes as a true record of the Seventeenth Annual Meeting, held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 19 and 21 September, 2003 (ref IAF–AM–03-010 revised) as circulated and amended.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report of the Chairman as presented.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report of the Convener of the Chairman’s Advisory Group on Promotions as presented and resolved that the Group should proceed with the development and implementation of the Promotions Strategy as budgeted.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report by the Treasurer on the Financial Affairs of IAF and the Report of the Financial Auditor on the Financial Operations of IAF, December 31, 2003 and 2002 as circulated and presented.

The General Assembly received with appreciation and adopted the report of the Financial Oversight Committee (ref IAF 18–Item 5.2.2), as circulated and presented.

The Annual Meeting resolved to appoint Mr Vagn Anderson (DANAK), Mr Shinichi Iguchi (JAB) and Mr Pierre Salle (IAAR) to be members of the Financial Oversight Committee for the complete years of 2005 and 2006.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report by the Treasurer on the Financial Affairs of IAF for the period 1 January to 31 July 2004 as circulated and presented. The Convener of the Chairman’s Advisory Group on Promotions was directed not to spend the amount of US$30,000 that was previously approved for the 2004 budget

The General Assembly, approved the IAF Budget for 2005 submitted by the Treasurer and directs the Board to send invoices for membership fees for 2005 based upon the revised budget amount, in accordance with the Membership Fees Rules (ref IAF PL4:2004 Issue 3), to all members as quickly as possible. The budget amount allocated to the Customer Satisfaction Survey will be expended in cooperation with the Regional Accreditation Groups under the direction of the Customer Satisfaction Task Group.

The General Assembly received the report by the Secretary on the current IAF membership as at September 2004 (ref IAF-AM-04-003 Rev2).

The General Assembly received the Secretary’s report (ref IAF GA18 Item 5.3) on the admission to membership since the 2003 Annual Meeting of one new Association Member (PEFC – Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and one new Observer Member (CAC-MASQ - the Central Asian Cooperation on Metrology, Accreditation and Standardization for a 12 month period).

The General Assembly, noting the information provided to it, votes to an extend invitation to PNAC, the Pakistan National Accreditation Council, to become an Accreditation Body Member.   Note: PNAC (Pakistan) signed the IAF MoU at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report from the Chairman of the Technical Committee (ref IAF 18 – Item 6.1) and approved the Technical Committee Program.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee to approve the recommendation of the IAF-ILAC Joint Working Group on Inspection, resolved that the guidance to be published in October 2004 become effective from 1 January 2005.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that IAF issue a Communique, jointly with ISO, to the effect that there be a phased transition period of 18 months for implementing the revision to ISO 14001, following its publication. The 18 month period is to facilitate the transition during the normal certification cycle.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the draft IAF Guidance on the transition to ISO 14001:200X (ref TC/10/04rev1) be circulated to all IAF Members for approval by 30 day ballot.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that draft revisions to IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 62 and IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 66, with new guidance on temporary sites, be circulated to all IAF Members for 60 day comment and subsequent approval by 30 day ballot.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the draft white paper entitled “The relationship between ISO 14001 management system conformity assessments and regulatory compliance” (ref. TC/30/04), be circulated to all IAF Members for 60 day comment.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the IAF TC working group developing guidance on the application of ISO/IEC 17011 be reconstituted as a Task Group under the Joint IAF-ILAC Management Group for maintenance of the A series documents, joint training activity for peer evaluators and the development of guidance on the application of ISO/IEC 17011, but with the IAF members to the Task Group for guidance on the application of ISO/IEC 17011 being appointed by, and reporting to, the IAF Technical Committee.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the draft revision to IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 65 be circulated to all IAF Members for approval by 30 day ballot.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report on the ISO 9001 Advisory Group.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report on the Auditing Practices Group

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved to recommend that the work program of the ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group be expanded to include the development of papers on good auditing practices for accreditation.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report from the Chairman of the MLA Committee (ref IAF 18 – Item 6.2) and approved the IAF MLA Work Program.

The General Assembly noted that the IAF MLA Group, on the recommendation of the MLA MC, has agreed that EA, PAC and SANAS (South Africa) should be admitted to the IAF EMS MLA. Notes:

1. ANSI-RAB NAP (United States of America) was accepted to join the IAF EMS MLA at the IAF 17th Annual Meeting in 2003.
2. The members indicated above for acceptance into the IAF EMS MLA signed the IAF EMS MLA at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly noted that, as a consequence of EA or PAC EMS MLA membership, the accreditation body members BELCERT (Belgium, EA), BMWA (Austria, EA), CAI (Czech Republic, EA), CNAB (China, PAC), COFRAC (France, EA), DANAK (Denmark, EA), ema (Mexico, PAC), DAR / TGA (Germany, EA), ENAC (Spain, EA), FINAS (Finland, EA), INAB (Ireland, EA), JAB (Japan, PAC), JAS-ANZ (Australia & New Zealand, PAC), KAB (Korea, PAC), KAN (Indonesia, PAC), NA (Norway, EA), NAC (Thailand, PAC), RvA (Netherlands, EA), SAS (Switzerland, EA), SCC (Canada, PAC), SINCERT (Italy, EA), SNAS (Slovakia, EA), SWEDAC (Sweden, EA), TAF (Chinese Taipei, PAC) and UKAS (United Kingdom, EA), have been accepted for membership in the IAF EMS MLA.   Note: The members indicated above for acceptance into the IAF EMS MLA signed the IAF EMS MLA at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly noted that the IAF MLA Group, on the recommendation of the MLA MC, has agreed that EA, PAC, SCC (Canada, PAC), SANAS (South Africa) and ema (Mexico, PAC) should be admitted to the IAF Product MLA.   Notes:

1. JAS-ANZ (Australia & New Zealand) was accepted to join the IAF Product MLA at the IAF 16th Annual Meeting in 2002.
2. The members indicated above for acceptance into the IAF Product MLA signed the IAF Product MLA at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly noted that, as a consequence of EA Product MLA membership, the accreditation body members BELCERT (Belgium, EA), BMWA (Austria, EA), CAI (Czech Republic, EA), COFRAC (France, EA), DANAK (Denmark, EA), DAR / DAP, DATech (Germany, EA), ENAC (Spain, EA), FINAS (Finland, EA), INAB (Ireland, EA), NA (Norway, EA), RENAR (Romania, EA), RvA (Netherlands, EA), SAS (Switzerland, EA), SINCERT (Italy, EA), SNAS (Slovakia, EA), SWEDAC (Sweden, EA), and UKAS (United Kingdom, EA), have been accepted for membership in the IAF Product MLA.   Note: The members indicated above for acceptance into the IAF Product MLA signed the IAF Product MLA at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly noted that, as a consequence of EA or PAC QMS MLA membership, the accreditation body members RENAR (Romania, EA) and HKAS (Hong Kong, China, PAC), have been accepted for membership in the IAF QMS MLA.   Note: The members indicated above for acceptance into the IAF QMS MLA signed the IAF QMS MLA at a ceremony during the IAF-ILAC Gala Dinner on 9 October 2004.

The General Assembly resolved that

• - IAF endorses the adoption of ISO/IEC 17011 for IAF use;
• - The IAF Accreditation Body Members shall fulfil the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011 by 1 January 2006;
• - The peer evaluations conducted in 2005 by IAF and regional MLA groups shall be based on ISO/IEC 17011. However, nonconformities shall only be raised against the corresponding requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 61 as guided by IAF Guidance and other findings against ISO/IEC 17011 will be raised as concerns;
• - The MLA signatories shall be able to demonstrate their compliance with ISO/IEC 17011 to the regional MLA committees or IAF MLA MC by 1 January 2006;

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the MLA MC, in cooperation with regional MLA groups, shall evaluate the implementation of the IAF Policy on Cross Frontier Accreditation by each MLA signatory. The regional MLA groups shall report the progress of the evaluation/monitoring to the MLA MC for review in June 2005.

The General Assembly resolved that the IAF Procedure for the Investigation and Resolution of Complaints be immediately published and implemented for use.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the JWG on Harmonization of Peer Evaluation Processes has successfully completed the assigned task for the development of harmonized evaluation requirements and procedures (A-series documents) and should be disbanded. The meeting expressed its gratitude to the JWG Co-Chairs and members for their excellent work.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the A-series documents (A1, A2 and A3) become the main part of the IAF MLA P&P document and be implemented no later than 1 January 2006, noting that ISO/IEC 17011 should be considered in the implementation of A3.   Note: The A-series requirements for evaluation will be supplemented by the remaining already approved and currently agreed specific IAF considerations. The resulting document will be the IAF P&P Issue 4 version 1 which will be available by the end of 2004.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that IAF propose the establishment of a joint IAF-ILAC Training Group responsible for an annual joint training activity, based primarily on shared contributions from all regional bodies with the objective of harmonizing peer evaluations and to facilitate repeated training within the regions.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that

• -the work on the Inspection MLA be delegated to the IAF MLA MC;
• -the obligations under the Inspection MLA should be managed by using the existing MLA structures of IAF and ILAC;
• -IAF recommends to ILAC to have joint processes for the IAF MLA MC and ILAC AMC to consider evaluations with regard to accreditation bodies accrediting inspection bodies, and to develop a single recommendation for the IAF MLA Group and the ILAC Arrangement Council;
• -IAF recommends to ILAC to have joint processes for the IAF MLA Group and ILAC Arrangement Council for decisions on signatories for the MLA on inspection body accreditation;
• -Additionally, IAF recommends to ILAC, that in reviewing the performance of these new joint processes, IAF and ILAC give consideration to establishing a single joint decision making process to complete the management structure of the jointly owned Inspection MLA/MRA Arrangement.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of an EA Member, resolved that the IAF Executive Committee would seek to work with the ILAC Executive Committee to deliberate on the establishment of a common IAF-ILAC structure for the management of the whole scope of their MLAs and MRAs. A proposal shall be prepared and submitted to the 2005 IAF General Assembly.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the ITIC and BDI representatives, resolved that the IAF MLA Committee, working with the IAF Executive Committee, shall seek to establish an estimate of the annual operating costs incurred by the IAF and the MLA Members to operate the various MLAs, including the QMS MLA, EMS MLA, Inspection MLA, and Product MLA. The General Assembly resolved that the MLA Committee report back to the General Assembly no later then the IAF 2005 Annual Meeting.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the report from the Co-Chair of the Joint Development Support Committee (JDSC), recognizing the work done by the JDSC in the JCDCMAS, encourages the continuation of this involvement.

IAF Resolution 2004-41 – (Agenda Item 6.3) Inspection Bodies Survey – The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the JDSC, resolved that the JWG on Inspection Bodies would conduct a survey on the role of Proficiency Testing Programs in Inspection Bodies.

The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of the JDSC, resolved that the MLA Committee would monitor the implementation of the IAF Cross Frontier Accreditation Policy to avoid the possibility of creating a new barrier for developing countries in achieving the goals of recognition and capacity building, assuring that the purpose of the Cross Frontier Accreditation Policy will continue to be the enhancement of the credibility of the accreditation system.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the presentations and status reports provided by Committee Chairmen and Conveners on the IAF Strategic Directions, Customer Satisfaction Task Group, impact analysis and transition for ISO/IEC 17011, implementation of the Cross Frontier Accreditation Policy, status of the IAF MLA Mark registration and applications, the need for a MLA for Certification of Persons and Future Annual meetings.

The General Assembly received with appreciation the following liaison reports:

• - ISO/IEC report presented on behalf of the Secretary General of ISO;
• - ISO/TC 176 report presented on behalf of the Chairman of ISO/TC 176 (ref IAF 18 -Item 8.1.1);
• - ISO/IEC CASCO report presented on behalf of the Chairman of ISO/IEC CASCO;
• - IATCA report presented on behalf of the Chairman of IATCA (ref IAF 18 – Item 8.2A & B);
• - QuEST Forum report presented on behalf of the Chairman of the QuEST Forum (ref IAF 18 - Item 8.3);

The General Assembly congratulated the following Directors on their election:

1. Ms Elva Nilsen (SCC) elected unopposed as Vice Chair for a three year term ending at the 2007 Annual Meeting.
2. Mr Girdhar Gyani (NABCB) elected unopposed as Director representing Accreditation Body Members located in a low and medium income economy, as designated by the World Bank, for a three year term ending at the 2007 Annual Meeting.

Notes:

1. Dr Thomas Facklam (DAR) will complete his term as Chairman, ending at the 2006 Annual Meeting.
2. Mr Anthony Craven (JAS-ANZ) elected as Director representing Accreditation Body Members located in a high income economy, as designated by the World Bank, for a three year term ending at the 2006 Annual Meeting.
3. Mr Dale Misczynski (ITIC) will complete his term as Director representing the Industry and User Association Members, ending at the 2005 Annual Meeting.
4. Mr Sandy Sutherland (IIOC) will complete his term as Director representing Certification/Registration Body Association Members, ending at the 2005 Annual Meeting.

The General Assembly accepted with appreciation the invitation by IANZ to hold the 2005 Annual Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, from September 11 to 21, 2005, in association with the ILAC General Assembly

IANZ invitation to hold the 2005 Annual Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand in September 2005, in association with the ILAC General Assembly; invites other members to offer to host the Annual Meetings of IAF and ILAC in years after 2005.

The Annual Meeting received and accepted the list of apologies for non-attendance and accepted the notifications of proxies by members.

The Annual Meeting adopted the draft agenda (ref IAF–AM–03-002).