From April 20 to 25, 2026, the Midterm Meeting of the Global Accreditation Cooperation (Global ACI) was held in Prague, the Czech Republic. This marked the first global in-person meeting convened by Global ACI since its official commencement of operations on January 1, 2026. The delegation of the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) attended the meeting on site, and held in-depth exchanges with representatives from relevant international organizations and peer accreditation bodies across the globe. During the Global ACI General Assembly held on April 25, the CNAS representative officially took office as Vice Chair of the Global ACI Development Support Committee, with a three-year term.

The event covered the Global ACI General Assembly and meetings of its specialized committees, with comprehensive and in-depth discussions carried out around core topics including Global ACI’s strategic planning, latest developments in international accreditation, the development and revision of international accreditation rules and technical documents, as well as cooperation between Global ACI and relevant international organizations. Global ACI is an international cooperation organization formed by the merger of the former International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). As the core cooperation platform for accreditation bodies and accreditation-related stakeholders worldwide, it currently has 190 members. Global ACI is committed to promoting international cooperation in the accreditation field across the globe, with its core objective of facilitating the widespread global acceptance of accredited conformity assessment results through the establishment and continuous improvement of the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) among accreditation bodies. As China’s national accreditation body, CNAS was among the first batch of members to join Global ACI in October 2025. During this meeting, the CNAS delegation participated in the entire process of the General Assembly and relevant committee meetings, fully engaging in the discussions on all topics and international exchanges.

The CNAS representative was successfully elected in the vice chair elections for Global ACI’s committees earlier this year, and officially assumed the duties at this meeting. The core mandate of the Global ACI Development Support Committee is to provide technical support and funding assistance to accreditation bodies in low- and middle-income economies, and advance the capacity building and business development of relevant institutions. The successful election and official inauguration of the CNAS representative fully demonstrates the further enhancement of China’s role and influence in the international accreditation field. It will also help China better play its role in the international accreditation governance system, and share China’s practical experience and solutions in accreditation with the rest of the world.

In recent years, CNAS has continuously deepened international cooperation in the accreditation field, taken an in-depth part in the formulation of rules and daily work of international accreditation organizations, actively provided technical assistance to relevant accreditation bodies in various countries, and vigorously promoted pragmatic cooperation with accreditation bodies in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with its international influence rising steadily and continuously. Up to now, more than 20 CNAS staff hold various management or technical positions in relevant international organizations, and 12 serve as peer evaluators for international accreditation organizations.