The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), celebrates World Accreditation Day on June 9 each year. This year’s celebration, focusing on the theme, “Sustaining economic growth and the environment”, stresses on increased vigilance in the face of the perils that the environment faces globally.
The celebration is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals( SDGs) developed in 2015 to be part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan for the World.
The plan focuses on meeting 17 objectives, including two on this year’s World Accreditation, namely, the sustainability of economic growth and the environment.
Said bin Sultan al Busaidi, Director of the Accreditation Office at the Directorate-General of Specifications and Standards, stressed that international organisations related to accreditation such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Organisation and the International Accreditation Forum as well as national accreditation agencies in the world are working to contribute to the sustainability of natural resources in line with the need to meet the needs of global populations.
He added that all countries seek to shift from a linear to a circular economy, which seeks to optimise the use of resources in terms of reuse, manufacture, recycling and reducing waste. This circular transformation contributes to efficiency and quality of products and services through the implementation of international accreditation.
Al Busaidi also pointed out that population growth, alongside economic growth, can fuel a significant increase in the consumption of resources. In the absence of a circular economy, this consumption trend is not sustainable. He said the ministry, represented by the Accreditation Office, is the official representative of Oman’s membership in the international body, as well as the Gulf Accreditation Centre.
He said that the Accreditation Office registers laboratories, donors for certificates and inspection offices, where examination laboratories are registered in various areas including food, water, plant health, building materials, soil, general chemistry, cosmetics, microbiology, petroleum derivatives, etc, in addition to registering calibration laboratories in various areas such as heat, pressure, blocks, weights, and so on.
As many as 74 entities have been registered by the ministry, he said. — ONA