The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) will merge into a new, single organization called the Global Accreditation Cooperation, or GLOBAC. The new organization is reportedly registered in New Zealand, likely moving it outside the reach of US courts. (A search using the official online database of NZ records came up empty when searching for the company, however.)
The merger was originally intended to be completed years ago, but delays due to COVID and overall bureaucratic paralysis have delayed it until 2024.
Graphic from official IAF/ILAC presentation, leaked by the Serbian accreditation body ATS.
A flurry of behind-the-scenes moves has been underway in recent months, as long-time IAF Secretary Elva Nilsen has opted to step down from managing the IAF. The new GLOBAC organization will instead outsource the Secretariat duties to a consulting company called Axis Mundi Consulting. The transition from Nilsen’s consulting firm to Axis Mundi is expected to be completed by April 2024.
For ILAC, the secretariat is currently held by the Australian accreditation body NATA, but managed by Israel’s Etty Feller. Feller won controversy for her refusal to acknowledge the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but who then used her position to post hundreds of social media posts about Israel. It’s not clear if Feller will have a role in the new GLOBAC company, but appears unlikely.
The moves have been made nearly in secret, with little public information being posted and nearly no stakeholder participation. Sources tell Oxebridge that a round of bids was circulated to replace Nilsen as Secretary, with Axis Mundi being the winning provider. But the people behind Axis Mundi are, so far, unidentified. A source told me that those responsible for Axis Mundi have ties to the IAF regional body IAAC, but this could not be confirmed. Multiple companies are registered around the world with the name, and it is not clear which one is the company being named by ILAC.
According to an ILAC press release, Axis Mundi will announce itself next month, in January 2024.
The GLOBAC website was launched recently but only hosts a form inviting people to subscribe to their website. Completing the form triggers an email response from Brahim Houla, an official with the Saudi accreditation body GCC, and the IAF’s Marketing Committee Chair.
The connection between the new GLOBAC organization and the Saudis raises concerns, as GCC has been shown itself to be one of the more corrupt participants in the IAF scheme, refusing to process complaints and investigate fraudulent accreditation practices in that country. It is largely understood that ISO certifications issued under the GCC accreditation mark are unlikely to fulfill international requirements at all.
GLOBAC will also relocate its official business location to New Zealand, finally taking it out of reach of the US courts. This was expected, and sources told me years ago that moving IAF out of the United States was a major factor in its goal to merge with ILAC. Oxebridge had filed complaints with the IRS and Federal Trade Commission alleging the IAF violated its not-for-profit status for openly violating its Bylaws and tax filing status. To date, no US government agency has been willing to investigate the IAF.
IAF appears to be heavily influenced by the corrupt practices of its regional body APAC, led by Graeme Drake. Houla, meanwhile, also has ties with APAC, having acted as its “Capacity Building Chair.” APAC largely ignores IAF multilateral agreement rules, and “rubber-stamps” membership to any organization willing to pay, regardless of their conformity to international accreditation rules. Drake and other staffers within APAC then reap benefits in their salaries based on APAC’s ability to sign new members, not on its willingness to uphold IAF and ISO accreditation requirements. Despite Drake operating the company out of Australia, APAC is registered in New Zealand, which is alleged to have laxer tax laws and less corporate oversight.
Whereas Nilsen allowed the IAF to ignore international law, operating largely in secret from her home in Canada and earning over $300,000 per year to do so, the new moves are likely to further protect IAF — as well as ILAC — from any public scrutiny or accountability under law.
Under Nilsen, the IAF became a rubber-stamp factory itself, routinely publishing “mandatory documents” that define rules for IAF member bodies, but then refusing to process complaints from third parties when those rules are broken. Now, fully-accredited ISO certificates from IAF member bodies can be found on companies engaged in human trafficking, test data falsification, and routine release of deadly, defective products. Such problems are likely only to worsen under the unusual management of GLOBAC, given its willingness to strengthen ties to known corrupt actors like APAC and GCC.
The IAF scheme has remained nearly entirely free from scrutiny by regulators due to its dogged ability to operate in near total secrecy and keep its staff and Board members hidden from the public. The group, previously led by China’s Xiao Jianhua and currently by Italy’s Emanuele Riva, has promoted controversial policies and human rights abuses by both China and Russia, and has refused to honor international sanctions.
While a tactical victory of the IAF, as it can increase its corrupt practices with less independent oversight and legal accountability, I do predict the move will — over the long term — work to further harm ISO certifications in general. Combined with ISO’s recent turn away from consensus, and management through authoritarian diktat by unfettered would-be autocrats, the reputation and trust in ISO certifications are likely to decline dramatically, prompting governments like those of the US, to re-think their alliance with ISO and IAF.
This may be a strategic disaster for all those involved.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
This merger will be a disaster! ILAC has historically been a solid organization with a solid reputation. The IAF has been a joke for several years and remains so even today. This merger will pull ILAC down. And, what’s even worse is that ILAC and IAF have completely different missions. Whoever is working to make this merger happen should seriously be ashamed and embarrassed. I hope this merger fails and falls through before the worse happens.