Accreditation
Accreditation is a third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks (such as certification, inspection and testing).
An authoritative body that performs accreditation is called an ‘accreditation body’. The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) provide international recognitions to accreditation bodies. There are many internationally-recognized accreditation bodies approved by the IAF and ILAC.
The Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) is the largest accreditation body in Middle East region, whereas in South Asia the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and Quality Council of India (QCI) are the largest. In East Asia, the China National Accreditation Board is the largest, while the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the largest in Europe. The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) being the largest in the Oceania region, with the South African National Accreditation System being the largest in Africa.
For most of the accreditation schemes, international standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are used.
Accreditation (noun)
The giving of credentials.
Accreditation (noun)
The act of accrediting.
“letters of accreditation.”
Accreditation (noun)
The granting of approval to an institution of higher learning by an official review board after the school has met certain requirements.
Affiliation (noun)
The relationship resulting from affiliating one thing with another.
Affiliation (noun)
The establishment of a child’s paternity or maternity
Affiliation (noun)
A club, society or umbrella organisation so formed, especially a trade union.