International Accreditation Forum

What International Accreditation Forum does

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) was a worldwide non-profit association of accreditation bodies and other organizations interested in conformity assessment, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Chelsea/Arlington, United States. Its core function was to develop and maintain the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), a framework enabling mutual recognition of accredited certification and validation/verification statements across signatory accreditation bodies worldwide. The organization operated as a standards-based conformity assessment body utilizing ISO/IEC 17011 for accreditation body evaluation, ISO/IEC 17021-1 for management systems certification, ISO/IEC 17024 for personnel certification, ISO/IEC 17065 for product certification, and ISO/IEC 17029 for validation and verification. Its core product suite included IAF CertSearch (a global database validating accredited management system certifications), the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Auditing Practices Groups, IAF Outlook newsletter, and the joint Accreditation Matters podcast with ILAC.

IAF's business model was structured as a membership-funded non-profit, generating revenue through annual membership fees from accreditation body members (99 at the time of transition), association members (33), and six regional accreditation groups (AFRAC, APAC, ARAC, EA, IAAC, SADCA). Distribution occurred through direct member engagement via the IAF System member portal, regional coordination bodies, and global events including World Accreditation Day and joint annual meetings. The organization served four primary customer segments: accreditation bodies (peer evaluation), certification and conformity assessment bodies (accreditation services), regulators and policymakers (regulatory reference for trade), and industry and commerce (supply chain assurance).

On 1 January 2026, IAF ceased independent operations and was merged with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) into Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, a unified international accreditation organization registered in New Zealand that now operates a single global Multilateral Recognition Arrangement covering all conformity assessment types. The transition was endorsed at the 22nd Joint IAF and ILAC General Assembly in Berlin in October 2024 after years of strategic planning.

Name

International Accreditation Forum

Legal name

International Accreditation Forum, Inc.

Website

https://iaf.nu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Accreditation Forum (IAF) was a worldwide non-profit association of accreditation bodies that maintained the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement, enabling mutual recognition of accredited certifications across 99 member bodies and six regional groups to facilitate global trade.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accreditation Services

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA), Accreditation Coordination, Recognition & Meta-Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAH), Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

Keywords

• Accreditation services
• Conformity assessment
• Multilateral recognition arrangement
• Management systems certification
• Quality infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Chelsea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) developed and operated the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), a worldwide framework that enables mutual recognition of accredited certification and validation/verification statements between signatory accreditation bodies based on peer evaluation against ISO/IEC 17011. It also provided IAF CertSearch, a global database for validating accredited management system certifications, and maintained the suite of mandatory, informative, and policy documents governing accreditation body operations worldwide.

Product overview

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) operates as a worldwide association of accreditation bodies focused on conformity assessment. The organization offers a unified platform centered on the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), which facilitates international acceptance of accredited certifications. Key products include IAF CertSearch, a global database for validating accredited management system certifications, along with supporting tools such as the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Auditing Practices Groups providing papers and presentations for auditors. The organization also provides IAF Outlook for news dissemination and the Accreditation Matters podcast for industry education. IAF ceased operations on January 1, 2026, transitioning to the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) An arrangement that enhances acceptance of goods and services across national borders by ensuring mutual recognition of accredited certification and validation/verification between signatory accreditation bodies worldwide, based on peer evaluation against ISO/IEC 17011.
• IAF CertSearch A global online database that allows users to validate individual accredited management system certifications from any economy in any language in real time, supporting supply chain assurance and market access.
• IAF Documents and Publications A series of policy, mandatory, informative, procedures, and promotional documents that support accreditation body and conformity assessment body operations under the IAF MLA framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accreditation reduces technical barriers to trade by enabling mutual recognition of conformity assessment results across borders
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ILAC was the primary strategic partner in the unification that formed the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated. Both organizations ceased independent operations on January 1, 2026, with their work unified under a single international accreditation organization with one global MRA covering all types of conformity assessment.
• Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPAC is a recognized regional accreditation group that coordinates accreditation activities across the Asia-Pacific region and participates in the IAF MLA through peer evaluation. APAC includes numerous accreditation body members and supports MLA recognition processes.
• European co-operation for Accreditation (EA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEA is a recognized regional accreditation group representing European accreditation bodies. EA coordinates peer evaluations and regional activities that feed the global IAF MLA, ensuring harmonization of accreditation practices across Europe.
• Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAAC is a recognized regional accreditation group for the Americas region. IAAC facilitates peer evaluations and regional coordination supporting the IAF MLA across North, Central, and South America.
• ARAB Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAC is a recognized regional accreditation group for Arab economies. ARAC coordinates accreditation body evaluations and MLA participation for the Middle East and North Africa region.
• African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFRAC is a recognized regional accreditation group for African economies. AFRAC facilitates peer evaluations and regional coordination supporting the global IAF MLA across Africa.
• Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSADCA is a recognized regional accreditation group for the Southern African Development Community region. SADCA coordinates accreditation activities and MLA participation for SADC member states.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAF worked closely with ISO, particularly ISO/TC 176 (Quality Management) and ISO/TC 207 (Environmental Management), on auditing practices groups and joint publications supporting consistent application of ISO management system standards.
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEFC and IAF developed joint publication PEFC ST 2003:2012 defining requirements for certification bodies carrying out PEFC chain of custody certification. PEFC took full responsibility for publishing and maintaining this document.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC): ILAC was the laboratory-accreditation counterpart to IAF and the two have now formally merged into Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated as of 1 January 2026. Both operated parallel multilateral recognition arrangements covering complementary scopes of conformity assessment.
• European co-operation for Accreditation (EA): EA is a recognized regional accreditation group that coordinates peer evaluations and feeds the global MLA from European accreditation bodies. It operates a parallel MLA structure at the regional level for Europe.
• Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC): APAC is the regional accreditation cooperation body covering Asia-Pacific, coordinating MLA peer evaluation activities for the region and feeding the global IAF MLA. Functions as a structural peer at the regional layer.
• Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC): IAAC is the regional accreditation cooperation body for the Americas, coordinating MLA peer evaluations and harmonization activities across North, Central, and South America.
• African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC): AFRAC is the regional accreditation cooperation body for African economies, coordinating MLA participation and peer evaluation across African accreditation bodies feeding the global MLA.

Broad incumbents

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO develops the international standards (ISO/IEC 17011, 17021-1, 17024, 17065, 17029) that underpin IAF's accreditation framework. IAF works closely with ISO/TC 176 and ISO/TC 207 on auditing practices, making ISO the upstream standards-setting counterpart.
• ANSI (American National Standards Institute): ANSI coordinates U.S. participation in international standards and accreditation activity, including oversight of U.S. members in IAF. Operates as a national-level standards and accreditation coordinating body with comparable member-driven governance.
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC): IEC develops international standards for electrotechnology and operates conformity assessment systems (IECEE, IECEx, IECQ) that interact with IAF MLA signatories in product certification. Comparable international standards body with overlapping stakeholder community.
• BSI Group: BSI is a major standards body, certification body, and the UK national standards body operating across management systems, product certification, and training — overlapping with the conformity assessment activities IAF accredits.

Regional players

• UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service): UKAS is the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom and an IAF MLA signatory. It provides a useful peer benchmark for how individual national accreditation bodies operate within the IAF framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iaf_global
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IAFandILAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-accreditation-forum-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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