Chair’s Message
World Accreditation Day 2026
Innovation, Trust and Sustainability: The Power of Accreditation
This year’s theme Innovation, Trust and Sustainability: The Power of Accreditation spotlights the role that accreditation and conformity assessment play in enabling innovation, building trust and supporting a more sustainable future.
All businesses face challenges in accessing markets, competing on a level playing field and demonstrating regulatory compliance. Consumers face challenges in knowing that the goods and services they purchase are from reputable and trustworthy sources, are “fit for purpose” and are environmentally sustainable. Accreditation and conformity assessment are proven tools that enable this confidence.
This year’s theme aims to share examples of how accreditation supports these three vital pillars, with the aim of encouraging wider adoption of accreditation across the global economy. WAD focuses on how accreditation, supported by the global Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) established by Global ACI, helps business and industry to compete in this global marketplace.
The Chair of Global ACI, Brahim Houla, said, “As technology evolves and sustainability expectations grow, progress needs proof. Accreditation helps ensure new solutions are reliable. It demonstrates that they meet the requirements of regulators, signifies credibility and instils confidence with potential customers. Accreditation also helps drive internal efficiencies and improved company culture.
World Accreditation Day 2026 highlights the critical role of accreditation and conformity assessment in ensuring that products, services, and management systems meet recognised standards and regulatory requirements. That work helps innovation move faster and more safely. It ensures that sustainability claims stand up to scrutiny, and it helps build trust in the results that regulators, businesses and consumers rely on.”
Across the world, accreditation provides independent oversight – checking that conformity assessment bodies such as laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies are competent, impartial and reliable.
On World Accreditation Day we recognise and thank the people and organisations who make this confidence possible.
