World Accreditation Day 2016 focuses on the support accreditation delivers as a tool for all areas in the public sector – national and local government, regulators. Accreditation is a global tool that helps to address local, national and international needs for governments.
Standards, conformity assessment and accreditation are all market- based tools that can be used by Government policy makers to deliver better regulation, environmental protection, public safety, fraud prevention, fair and efficient markets and public trust.
There are four clear ways the public sector can benefit from accreditation and other conformity assessment tools:
Pete Unger
l Government can help improve the performance of business by encouraging the use of conformity assessment by minimising risk and promoting trade.
l Accredited conformity assessment can help government deliver and enforce its policies
l Conformity assessment helps regulators regulate
l Government can improve its own performance by using
conformity assessment in its own departments.
To help explain the use of accredited conformity assessment, the website www.publicsectorassurance.org has been established to showcase different global examples where accreditation has been used to support public policy efforts. From assisting forensic science in the UK, to effective voluntary programmes in the US, to improving the delivery of food safety in Australia, to protecting consumers in the safety of products in the Gulf Coast Countries, the site demonstrates real examples where public policy is being delivered using accreditation.