By Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) is hosting the 2024 Asia-Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) Annual Meetings in Dubai, running until July 18th.
Organized by MoIAT’s Emirates National Accreditation System (ENAS) in partnership with the Gulf Accreditation Center (GAC) and the Emirates International Accreditation Center (EIAC), the event is themed “Accreditation: Empowering Tomorrow and Shaping the Future.”
Representatives from 65 national accreditation bodies in the Asia-Pacific region, along with international accreditation and conformity assessment experts, are in attendance. This significant gathering underscores the UAE’s status as a leading hub for quality infrastructure, pivotal to Operation 300bn.
Hosting the APAC meetings enhances the attractiveness of the UAE’s industrial ecosystem by fostering innovation, competitiveness, and product quality. The event aims to facilitate trade through standardized processes and mutual recognition of conformity assessments, thereby boosting market confidence in products.
Key speakers include Omar Al Suwaidi, MoIAT Under-Secretary; Jennifer Evans, APAC Chair; Dr. Waleed Alhosani, GCC Secretariat General Head of Economic Affairs; Amina Ahmed Mohammed, EIAC CEO; and Eng. Moteb Al-Mezani, GAC Director General.
Al Suwaidi highlighted that hosting the APAC Annual Meetings aligns with the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology. He emphasized the UAE’s significant industrial growth, citing a 60% increase in industrial exports and a 27% rise in productivity since MoIAT’s establishment in 2020.
The event also featured an interactive session on accreditation’s role in enhancing local product quality and competitiveness, moderated by Dr. Qasim Al Shamsi, with contributions from various industry leaders.
The APAC Annual Meetings serve as a collaborative platform to discuss policies, align practices, and expand Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) for conformity assessments across the Asia-Pacific region.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
