June 9 is World Accreditation Day

World Accreditation Day (WAD) will be observed on June 9 under the theme: ‘Accreditation: Empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)’.

JANAAC Global Accreditation will spearhead a series of local events to highlight the role of accreditation in enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs.

The observance will feature a commemorative service at the Stadium Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Kingston on Saturday, June 7, beginning 11:00 a.m.

The service will also be livestreamed on the Church’s official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@StadCommSDA.

On June 9, JANAAC will host an Assessor Conclave under the theme – ‘Quality Across Borders’, celebrating regional and international collaboration in strengthening conformity assessment activities across the Caribbean and beyond.

JANAAC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Yvette Castell, highlighted additional activities during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Tuesday (June 3).

She informed that the Agency will also host a series of webinars in collaboration with standards bodies across the region.

“We will begin with the Bureau of Standards Jamaica on June 10, followed by the Grenada Bureau of Standards, St. Lucia Bureau of Standards and St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards on June 13, 16 and 20, respectively,” Dr. Castell indicated.

She noted that these webinars, designed to raise awareness about accreditation, will commence at 9:30 a.m. on each scheduled day.

The Acting CEO highlighted that Wednesday, June 11, will mark the first anniversary of JANAAC Global Accreditation’s rebranding—a strategic move to reflect the agency’s expanded regional and international reach.

“Previously, when we were known as the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), persons thought that our services were limited to Jamaica. But we are global… doing business in 11 CARICOM (Caribbean Community) states,” Dr. Castell indicated.

She further pointed out that, “this global trading name will extend the reach of JANAAC’s accreditation services and reduce accreditation related costs that are borne by our clients.”

“Now that we have established an office in Guyana, our Guyanese clients will benefit from reduced accreditation costs as well as the proximate neighbours, such as Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Belize,” Dr. Castell shared.

World Accreditation Day is a global initiative by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) to highlight the importance of accreditation in ensuring quality and trust across industries.

“This year’s theme… is of particular interest to JANAAC because of our mandate of enabling SMEs to meet recognised standards, by giving them the credibility needed to access new markets, comply with regulatory requirements, and to compete globally,” Dr. Castell said.

She added that the observance is intended to heighten awareness about accreditation and the benefits of utilising accredited services.

Meanwhile, JANAAC will host its annual CEO’s Breakfast Forum on Tuesday, August 26, during which at least seven newly accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) will be honoured.

The event will feature testimonials from honourees, highlighting their progress and the value of accreditation in promoting regional excellence.

JANAAC Global Accreditation continues to work closely with the IAF and ILAC to ensure that accreditation services contribute meaningfully to regional development and global integration.

For further information, persons may visit the agency’s website at www.janaac.gov.jm or call 876-968-7790 / 876-968-7799.

Source: JIS