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).

The Annual Meeting approved the draft Minutes as a true record of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting, held in Berlin, Germany, on 21 and 26, September, 2002 (ref IAF–AM–02-020) as circulated and amended.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report of the Chairman as presented.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report of the Convener of the Chairman’s Advisory Group on Promotions as presented.

The Annual Meeting 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, 2002 and 2001 as circulated and presented.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation and adopted the report of the Financial Oversight Committee (ref IAF 17–Item 5.2.2), as circulated and presented by the Financial Oversight Committee.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report by the Treasurer on the Financial Affairs of IAF for the period 1 January to 31 July 2003 as circulated and presented.

The Annual Meeting, after the elimination of $US 37,000 identified as Customer Satisfaction Survey and with the instruction not to conduct the follow-on survey until after indicated action steps from the initial Customer Satisfaction Survey Report have been implemented, approved the IAF Budget for 2004 submitted by the Treasurer and directs the Board to send invoices for membership fees for 2004 based upon the revised budget amount, in accordance with the Membership Fees Rules (ref IAF–PL–00-028), to all members as quickly as possible.

The Annual Meeting received the report by the Secretary on the current IAF membership as at September 2003 (ref IAF-AM-03-003).

IAF Resolution 2003-11 – (Agenda Item 5.3.3) New Members - The Annual Meeting received the Secretary’s report (ref IAF-AM-03-005) on the admission to membership since the 2002 Annual Meeting of four new Accreditation Body Members:

1. SA – Slovenian Accreditation
2. NAA – the National Accreditation Association of DPR of Korea
3. BMWA – the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs
4. Labor of Austria and RENAR – the Romanian Accreditation Association

Three new Association Members:

1. EFAC - the European Federation of Associations of Certification Bodies
2. IFIA - the International Federation of Inspection Agencies and INN
3. Instituto Nacional de Normalizacion of Chile for a 12 month period

The Annual Meeting also noted the resignations since the 2002 Annual Meeting of ABCB – the Association of British Certification Bodies (UK) and AEA – the American Electronics Association (USA).

The Annual Meeting, noting the information provided to it, votes to an extend invitation to IAS, the Iran Accreditation System, to become an Accreditation Body Member.   [Note: IAS (Iran) signed the IAF MoU at a ceremony during the IAF/ILAC Gala Dinner on 19 September 2003.]

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report from the Chairman of the Technical Committee (ref IAF 17 – Item 6.1) and approved the Technical Committee Program.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the following documents, having been approved by IAF Members, now be published by IAF as amended editorially in the Technical Committee on 16 and 17 September in response to comments made by IAF Members attached to their votes:

• • IAF Guidance on Cross Frontier Accreditation (to be published both as a self standing document and as an Annex to the Guidance on ISO/IEC Guide 61);
• • Procedure for Exchange of Documentation among MLA Accreditation Bodies for the Purposes of Assessment;
• • IAF Guidance on QMS CRB Competence (to be published as part of the Guidance on ISO/IEC Guide 62 replacing the existing Guidance on clause 2.2);
• • Revised IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 62 (FG62_3);
• • Revised IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 66 (FG66_3).

The Annual Meeting agreed that with respect to the guidance on Cross Frontier Accreditation, this shall be implemented by the MLA Signatories within 6 months of publication. The IAF MLA MC shall, in cooperation with the regional members, prepare an evaluation plan for the IAF MLA Signatories having accredited CRBs with foreign branches, cf. Section 2.1.1 in the Guidance document. An evaluation of the ABs shall begin immediately after the guidance has come into force.   It was further agreed, on reissuing the IAF Guidance on ISO /IEC Guide 61, the same provision used for Guides 62 and 66 will be used for introducing the applicable parts of ISO 19011 (Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing) in place of the reference in the standard to the superseded ISO 10011 series.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that the balloted document “Method for Maintaining Certification/Registration of Well Developed and Implemented Management Systems (WDI)” be not progressed for publication at this stage, but that a new Task Group led by Mr Kawaberi and Mr Croft develop further guidance on this subject, and that in the meantime the current document “The Alternative Method” (ref IAF 98/020) remain in force.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, thanked Mr Kronvall and his Task Group for their work and resolved that the draft IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC 17024:2003 (ref TC/43/03) be circulated to all IAF Members for approval by 60 day ballot.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, resolved that IAF issue a Communique to the following effect:

Draft IAF Communique

ISO 9001 Certification after 15 December 2003

 

1. At its Annual Meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, in September 2003, IAF reaffirmed to the market that all accredited certification/registration of Quality Management Systems to ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 ceases to have validity on 15 December 2003. The decision that this would happen was taken in 1999 by IAF along with the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) committees on Quality Management (ISO/TC 176) and Conformity Assessment (ISO CASCO) in preparation for the withdrawal of those standards by ISO in favour of ISO 9001:2000 (which came into effect on 15 December 2000).
2. Organizations that base their purchasing decisions on the fact that their supplier is third party “ISO 9000 certified/registered” are reminded that after 15 December 2003 the only recognized form of conformity of an ISO 9001 Quality Management System will be an accredited certification/registration to ISO 9001:2000.
3. After 15 December 2003, all accredited certifications/registrations to ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 will have expired. Any use of accreditation marks on Resolutions IAF17_ver2.doc Printed 26 September, 2003 such certificates will therefore be in error, and in contravention of the intellectual property rights of the owners of the marks.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, in support of the principle that IAF, its members and their constituents, should avoid actions that create confusion or conflict of interest between the respective roles of accreditation bodies and certification/registration bodies, resolved that IAF will not endorse:

1. the provision of any conformity assessment services by Accreditation Body members of IAF (other than insofar as the accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies may be termed a conformity assessment service)
2. the provision of any conformity assessment services by accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies to denote conformity with any of the standards that are used as the basis for accreditation.

Note: Currently, services identified as conformity assessment services are:

• - Calibration (ISO/IEC 17025)
• - Testing (ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 15189)
• - Inspection (ISO/IEC 17020)
• - Management System Certification (future ISO/IEC 17021)
• - Personnel Certification (ISO/IEC 17024)
• - Product Certification (ISO/IEC Guide 65)

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Inspection, resolved that the final draft document “ IAF-ILAC Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC 17020”, be circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot and that this guidance document be used as the basis for Accreditation Bodies assessing Inspection Bodies for the IAF-ILAC Multilateral Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MLMRA).

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Inspection, resolved to request that the Joint Committee on Closer Cooperation (JCCC) develop a mechanism (including involving Inspection Body stakeholders) for:

• • the management of the IAF-ILAC Inspection Arrangement including the allocation of responsibilities;
• • the development of technical criteria to be considered during the evaluation (using existing IAF and ILAC harmonised evaluation procedures); and
• • the development of a single IAF-ILAC Logo/Mark for the Inspection Body MLMRA and a fee structure.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report from the Chairman of the MLA Committee (ref IAF 17 – Item 6.2) and approved the IAF MLA Work Program.

The Annual Meeting noted that, as a consequence of EA MLA membership, the accreditation body members SNAS (Slovakia) and BMWA (Austria), have been approved for membership in the IAF QMS MLA.   [Note: SNAS (Slovakia) and BMWA (Austria) signed the IAF QMS MLA at a ceremony during the IAF/ILAC Gala Dinner on 19 September 2003.]

The Annual Meeting noted that the IAF MLA Group, on the recommendation of the MLA MC, has agreed that ANSI-RAB NAP (United States of America) should be admitted to the IAF EMS MLA when it is established.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that IAF register the IAF MLA Mark internationally in all IAF Accreditation Body Member economies and other economies as appropriate. It was further resolved that the IAF Secretariat coordinate the registration in both the Accreditation Body Member economies in the Madrid System according to the Madrid System and other Accreditation Body Member economies individually with assistance of the respective Accreditation Body Members.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the final draft document “General Principles for the Use of the IAF MLA Mark” (ref MLA-2003/1) be circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that IAF be responsible for the worldwide protection of the IAF MLA Mark. It was further resolved that the IAF Accreditation Body Members shall be obligated to assist IAF to protect the IAF MLA Mark on the basis of self-enforcement and policing.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the final draft document “Responding to Inquires on MLA Signatory Equivalence” (ref MLA-2003/2) be circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot. It was further resolved that this document be shared with ILAC in discussions on harmonization of IAF/ILAC procedures.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Harmonization of the Peer Evaluation of ABs and Regional Groups prepare the final draft of the IAF/ILAC MLA documents on evaluation of ABs and Regional Groups (ref A1, A2, and A3) after receiving final comments from IAF members and that these final drafts be circulated to the members of the IAF MLA Procedures Sub-Committee and the MLA Committee Chairman for review prior to being circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot.

The Annual Meeting, acting on the recommendation of the MLA Committee, resolved that the proposed changes for the MLA Policies and Procedures 3v4 (ref MLA-2003/3) be circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot.

The Annual Meeting resolved that the draft document “Policies and Procedures for Industry Specific Programs” (ref MLA-2003/4) be revised according to the comments received from the members and subsequently circulated to all IAF members for approval by 60 day letter ballot.

The Annual meeting resolved that the requirements of the GFSI program “Arrangement between IAF and GFSI for the GFSI program” (ref MLA-2003/5) be incorporated into the IAF Product MLA and the peer evaluation be commenced upon receiving application for the GFSI program.

The Annual Meeting 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.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the presentation on the IAF strategic directions and the allocation of responsibilities.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the presentation on the new IAF Seal and the results of the letter ballot on the preferred design of the MLA Mark.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the presentation on the results of the Customer Satisfaction Survey.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the presentation on the Cross Frontier Accreditation Policy and its proposed implementation.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the Secretary General of ISO.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the Chairman of ISO/TC 176 (ref IAF 17 - Item 8.1.1).

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the Chairman of ISO/CASCO (ref CASCO 96/2003).

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the Chairman of IATCA (ref IAF 17 – Item 8.2).

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the QuEST Forum.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) (ref IAF 17 – Item 8.4).

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the Food Industry.

The Annual Meeting received with appreciation the report presented on behalf of the UNFCCC.

The Annual Meeting congratulated the following Directors on their election:

• -Dr Thomas Facklam (DAR) elected unopposed as Chairman for a three year term ending at the 2006 Annual Meeting.
• -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.
• -Note: Ms Elva Nilsen (SCC) will complete her term as Vice-Chairman, ending at the 2004 Annual Meeting.

• -Mrs Verónica Garcia de Solórzano (EMA) will complete her term as Director representing Accreditation Body Members located in low and medium income economies, as designated by the World Bank, ending at the 2004 Annual Meeting
• -Mr Dale Misczynski (ITIC) will complete his term as Director representing the Industry and User Association Members, ending at the 2005 Annual Meeting.
• -Mr Sandy Sutherland (IIOC) will complete his term as Director representing Certification/Registration Body Association Members, ending at the 2005 Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting accepted with appreciation the invitation by SANAS to hold the 2004 Annual Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, from October 4 to 13, 2004, in association with the ILAC General Assembly.