June 9, marks World Accreditation Day (WAD) as a global initiative jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation-related activities. The inaugural WAD was celebrated in 2008. Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the theme for 2021 WAD. The theme has been chosen to ensure that policymakers continue to use accreditation and Quality Infrastructure (QI) services to support their SDG Agenda.
World Accreditation Day provides the opportunity for SADCAS to share examples of how accreditation may be applied to meet objectives such as increasing trade, addressing health and safety concerns, and improving the general overall quality of output in an economy.
This year activities to celebrate 2021 WAD were once again rather limited due to COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrations in the region ranged from circulation and publication of press releases in the various national media, circulation and posting of WAD video on social media, television interview to virtual and physical workshops/seminars.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, SADCAS has ensured continuity in service provision by continually investing in technology so as to fully exploit the benefits presented by remote assessments, online training, virtual meetings and working remotely from home.
