Accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA) have been peer evaluated as competent to assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies to the relevant international standards. The results from the laboratories and inspection bodies accredited by the ILAC MRA signatories are then able to be recognised internationally.

The ILAC MRA provides significant technical underpinning to the results of the accredited conformity assessment bodies and in turn delivers confidence in the acceptance of results. The ILAC MRA supports the provision of local and national services, such as providing safe food and clean drinking water, providing energy, delivering health and social care or maintaining an unpolluted environment. In addition, the ILAC MRA enhances the acceptance of products across national borders. By removing the need for additional calibration, testing, medical testing and/or inspection of imports and exports, technical barriers to trade are reduced. In this way the ILAC MRA promotes international trade and the free-trade goal of “accredited once, accepted everywhere” can be realised.

IAF and ILAC have an agreement for closer cooperation, and tripartite memoranda of understanding with IEC, IHAF, ITU, ISO, OIML, UNIDO and the World Bank. In acknowledgement of the similarities between IAF and ILAC and a long history of collaboration, IAF and ILAC agreed at the 2019 Joint IAF-ILAC Annual Meetings to form a single international organization for accreditation.