JANAAC to mark World Accreditation Day on June 9

Jamaica, through the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, will commemorate World Accreditation Day, on Tuesday, June 9, under the theme ‘Accreditation: Improving food safety’.

“The theme this year focuses on how accreditation improves food safety, supporting the confidence of consumers, suppliers, purchasers, regulators in the quality and safety of food,” said Chief Executive Officer of JANAAC, Sharonmae Shirley.

The commemoration is essential in reminding stakeholders and policy makers of the importance of accreditation in several engagements including trade, consumer protection and healthcare and, in particular, food safety, said Shirley.

The celebration includes a week of activities  with the major high point being the commemorative virtual launch of World Accreditation Day by the Hon Audley Shaw, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. The event will be streamed live on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) website and JIS and JANAAC Facebook Pages. 

This will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by State Minister, the Hon. Floyd Green, which will offer insightful global perspectives on the theme. Panellists include Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Director, Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Ms. Etty Feller, Chair, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Mr. Deryck Omar, Chief Executive Officer, CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).

Other activities include a virtual meeting on Monday, June 8, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. aimed at sharpening the technical skills of JANAAC assessors, who will benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic experiences shared by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Laboratory Accreditation Programmes.

World Accreditation Day is a global initiative established by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to promote the value of accreditation for all business sectors.