Technical meetings and the 19 th General Assembly of the Asia
Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC 2013) opened in the
central city of Da Nang on September 9.
During the event,
which will come to a close on September 13, representatives from 26
member countries and institutions will attend a plenary meeting,
technical meetings, and a meeting of the Technical Committee and the
Mutual Recognition Arrangement council.
This year’s function
will review the implementation of the mutual recognition of regional
laboratories, inspection and certification bodies to minimise
administrative barriers among member countries.
Founded in
1992, APLAC acts as a steering agency of accreditation bodies and
harmonises accreditation practices in the Asia – Pacific region.
A licence granted to a product when it meets the quality standard in
an APLAC member country will also be valid in other member nations,
saving time and money for exporters.
The Bureau of
Accreditation of Vietnam, established in 1990, now manages nearly 700
laboratories, inspection and certification bodies across the country. It
became a member of APLAC in 2000.-VNA