OAS Science Ministerial WG3: National Quality Infrastructure

Alan Steele (Canada) &Javier Arias (Panama)

WG3 Co-Chairs

WG3 - National Quality Infrastructure

Launched as one of the four pillars of the Plan of Action of Panama at the Third OAS Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology in November 2011.

Objective: Help member states to have access to internationally recognized quality-infrastructure services to foster competitiveness, innovation, trade and consumer safety

WG3 - National Quality Infrastructure

The Working Group on NQI is coordinated by Canada and Panama, and supported by Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, United States and Member States of the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM)

The group quickly moved to include participation from all stakeholders in Quality Infrastructure from the hemisphere.

WG3 - National Quality Infrastructure

Stakeholders: The set of country institutions that provide the regulatory framework and services to guarantee the quality and safety of products and services offered in local and foreign markets.

WG3 - National Quality Infrastructure

Includes three conceptual pillars:

Standards: documents that spell out the requirements for products and services to meet customer and user needs.

Accreditation: system to ensure that the verification of technical requirements is done in a competent and impartial manner, and that all are playing equitably while eliminating needless duplication of efforts by producers and consumers.

Metrology: measurement and scientific tools required to assess products and services in a reliable and objective manner.

WG3: NQI Overview

Regional NQI Organizations:

COPANT – standardization IAAC – accreditation SIM – scientific and legal metrology

* They have agreed to form an Executive Committee

WG Meetings:

Costa Rica, November 2012 Dominican Republic, May 2013 Trinidad & Tobago, August 2013

WG3 : Objectives

The purpose of these meetings regarding the PAP has been:

to assess progress on cross-organizational relationship-building;

to identify projects to be developed by the WG in order to strengthen NQ systems and promote the importance of NQI in the region.

WG3 : Results

Agreement to explore the creation of a formal structure for Quality Infrastructure in the Americas that gathers together COPANT, IAAC, and SIM.

Agreement to approach the COPANT, IAAC, and SIM Councils and General Assemblies for approval

Agreement to attempt to achieve this goal by November 2013, in time for the 8th COMCYT Meeting to be held in Washington D.C., at the OAS.

Regional Organizations in the Americas

Why Create an NQI Council?

Due to the need for a sound NQI that provides the foundation for innovation and competitiveness.

Because of the ever-changing and increasingly complex requirements established for commerce, trade, security and consumer safety by countries.

Due to the desire to promote and create awareness for the importance of quality as a tool to enhance regional development, sustainability, and competitiveness as a means to achieve the objectives of the Plan of Action of Panama 2012-2016.

Why COPANT, IAAC and SIM?

Because as Independent Regional Organizations, each one has a long history of activity with broad participation from the countries in the Americas in their respective areas of expertise, and due to the complementary and mutually supporting nature of standards development, accreditation, and scientific and legal metrology as key elements of QI.

Intent of the NQI Council

Create a formal structure for joint projects, information sharing, and cross-functional training and development that, by acting collaboratively, exceeds the abilities of any organization acting alone.

To join together as the Inter-American Council on Quality Infrastructure, an organization of peers that provides a single point of contact for action and collaboration to support the expansion of national quality infrastructure in the Americas.

Inter-American Council on Quality Infrastructure

Conclusions

OAS WG3 on NQI is bringing together the three regional pillar organizations for standards, accreditation, and legal and scientific metrology.

The number of events with joint participation is increasing as we develop a share vision and common message to promote the role of NQI in national and regional competitiveness.

Conclusions