Spanish
With delegations from more than 26 countries, the Dominican Republic hosted the 34th General Assembly of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) for six days, an event that reinforced international confidence in its accreditation system and consolidated the country as a benchmark in quality, competitiveness, and market opening.
During the meeting, held from August 17 to 22 in Santo Domingo, government authorities, business leaders, international experts, and accreditation bodies discussed the strategic role of quality in economic development, sustainability, and integration into global trade.
Highlights DR's progress in quality
The intervention of Ulrich Harmes, consultant at Mesopartner and representative of the international cooperation of Germany, highlighted the significant progress that the Dominican Republic has made in terms of quality in the last 20 years, thanks to policies that have integrated regulators, industry, and citizens.
Harmes explained that the baseline studies carried out in collaboration with European projects for the Dominican Council for Quality (CODOCA) allowed for the diagnosis of the country's quality infrastructure and laid solid foundations for its strengthening.
Call to use the services of the ODAC
In addition, he presented the Global Accreditation Experience Index, a new indicator that reflects the progress of accreditation schemes available to Dominican companies, consolidating the Dominican Accreditation Body (ODAC) as a reliable and recognized entity regionally and internationally.
“I call on all Dominican entrepreneurs to use the country's accreditation services. There they will find reliable services that not only comply with national standards, but also international ones, strengthening competitiveness and trust in their products and services,” affirmed Harmes.
The consultant also emphasized that accreditation is a key tool to increase confidence in "Made in the Dominican Republic" products, which opens up greater export opportunities and positions the country as a reliable partner in global trade.
For his part, Ángel David Taveras Difo, executive director of ODAC, highlighted that this meeting projects the Dominican Republic as a nation that is committed to quality, innovation, and sustainability, strengthening confidence in its accreditation services and opening new opportunities for companies to integrate competitively into international markets.
With the closure of the Assembly, the Dominican Republic not only reaffirms its regional leadership in accreditation, but also leaves behind a legacy of international cooperation, strategic alliances and opportunities for the productive sector, strengthening its quality infrastructure as a driver of competitiveness and economic development.
About the ODAC:
The Dominican Accreditation Body is the entity responsible for accrediting conformity assessment bodies in the Dominican Republic. This includes laboratories, inspection entities, and certification bodies that verify the quality and safety of products, services, and systems.
About IAAC:
The Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) is the regional association of accreditation bodies and other organizations interested in conformity assessment in the Americas. Its main objective is to promote the regional and international acceptance of accreditations granted by its members, as well as of the certificates and results issued by accredited conformity assessment bodies.
