On 16-17 September 2025, IAF Chair Emanuele Riva attended the 6th China Quality Conference in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province in China, at the invitation of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS). The conference, themed “Quality: Empowering New Quality Productive Forces”, represents China’s premier international platform for sharing cutting-edge trends and concepts in quality development, bringing together prominent Chinese and international quality infrastructure leaders.

Mr. Riva delivered a keynote address alongside heads of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

In his speech, Mr. Riva announced a historic milestone for the global accreditation community: IAF and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)’s formation of a single international entity for accreditation, the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated. The replacement of IAF and ILAC by the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated will redefine global accreditation approaches, moving beyond administrative changes to address global challenges, support industry needs, and enhance quality and sustainability through consolidated technical convergence.

The IAF Chair emphasized the new Cooperation will provide shared resources, best practices, and collective knowledge, enabling stakeholders to navigate accreditation complexities with greater efficiency. He also highlighted IAF CertSearch, the IAF database for accredited management system certifications, which serves as a reliable, real-time platform for verifying certificates worldwide. The database already supports trade facilitation and will be utilized by UNIDO’s Quality Infrastructure Index.

Mr. Riva concluded by encouraging regulators, industry leaders, and stakeholders to collaborate in building a future where the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated enhances both the credibility of accredited services and the bonds of trust in our interconnected world.

The conference, jointly hosted by SAMR and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, also featured addresses by senior Chinese officials including Mr. Zhang Guoqing, Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr. Luo Wen, Minister of SAMR, and Mr. Xin Changxing, Chair of the Standing Committee of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress. Since its inception in 2014, the biennial conference has maintained its tradition of exchanging quality management practices, fostering closer international cooperation on quality, and promoting quality innovation.