Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA)

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The Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA), comprises the three independent regional organizat

ions involved in quality infrastructure in America: the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT), the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM), and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), each of which has an active and broad participation in American countries in their respective areas of expertise.

QICA is a platform to develop joint projects, information sharing, and cross-functional training and development that, by acting collaboratively, exceeds the abilities of any one organization acting alone.

Here is a description of the most recent virtual activities, workshops, and webinars organized by QICA, with the support of PTB, Germany, and the Organization of American States (OAS).

5th CABUREK QI4CE

The 5th CABUREK QI4CE took place from October 17th to 19th in Panama. With the support of PTB, Germany, participants from IAAC, SIM, and COPANT reviewed the progress and lessons learned to move forward and improve CABUREK as an instrument for Accreditation, Metrology, and Standardization in the region. We got new lessons and good results implementing Quality Infrastructure in initiatives for the Circular Economy.

V Congress of the Plastic Industry

Representatives of the Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA) participated in the Quality Infrastructure Forum for Sustainable Industrial Development in Asunción, Paraguay on October 18, 2023.

Synergies between Metrology and Accreditation

On October 11, 2023, IAAC and the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) held a joint workshop titled “Synergies between Metrology and Accreditation”. The virtual event was attended by representatives of Accreditation Bodies and Metrology Institutes of the Americas. The workshop included panel discussions regarding ways to achieve and maintain international recognition arrangements, the use of reference materials and compliance with ILAC policies on metrological traceability, and the challenges and opportunities to strengthen joint and coordinated work between the ABs and NMIs to strengthen the Quality Infrastructure in the region.

V Congress of the Plastic Industry

The Quality Infrastructure Council of the Americas (QICA) and PTB participated on May 23, 2023, virtually in the V Congress of Plastic Industry in Lima, Peru, with a presentation on a quality infrastructure that generates confidence in the transition towards a Circular Economy.

X Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT) and Policy Dialogue “Artificial Intelligence: Public Policy Imperatives for the Americas”

Javier Arias, a QICA representative, participated with a keynote presentation at the 10th Meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (X COMCYT), which was held on May 5, 2023, at the OAS headquarters in Washington D.C.

4º CABUREK QI4CE

From March 27 to 31, 2023 the 4th CABUREK was held within the framework of the “Quality Infrastructure for Circular Economy” (QI4CE) project, with the support of PTB, Germany. 70 participants from IAAC, SIM, and COPANT reviewed the progress of national Accreditation Standardization and Metrology projects focused on the Circularity of plastics, agribusiness, and construction.

Workshop: standards, Labels, and Certifications for Circular Economy in Plastics

On March 23, 2023, was held the QICA Workshop on “Standards, Seals, and Certifications for the Circular Economy in Plastics in the Latin American and Caribbean region”. A successful result was obtained with the participation of 350 people who came together to listen to panelists and experts share their experiences in the region.

QICA workshop on the ISO/CASCO Committee

On March 9, 2023, COPANT organized the QICA WORKSHOP ON THE ISO/CASCO COMMITTEE which was held virtually.

The objective of the workshop was to introduce and explain to QICA members the structure of the ISO/CASCO committee. The importance of participating through the national standardization bodies, how to participate in the COPANT regional Focus Group on ISO/CASCO, and its role.

During the workshop, there was participation of speakers such as Reinaldo Figueiredo (President of CASCO), Cristian Vázquez (IRAM – Coordinator of the GF COPANT on CASCO), the Experience of National Mirror Committees (ICONTEC, IRAM, TTBS, INTECO, ANSI), and during the fifth presentation, Ferney Chaparro (AAC Technical Secretary) and Claudia Santo (SIM Executive Secretary), addressed the issue of How to involve the National Accreditation Bodies and the National Institutes of Metrology.

QICA Virtual Meeting

On February 1, 2023, the first QICA meeting was held with the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of IAAC, COPANT, and SIM.

During the meeting, each president spoke about the needs of COPANT, IAAC, and SIM, and ideas for working together and proposing activities and events of interest to the region were discussed. Comments were made on the need to define the structure and governance of QICA and it was agreed to hold periodic meetings of the Secretaries and of QICA’s management.

QICA web publication: Quality Infrastructure for Circular Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean

This study was published in October 2022 and is the result of the experiences and research on the interrelation between Quality Infrastructure and Circular Economy, from its fundamental concepts to its application. It also mentions some key elements such as metrology, standardization, accreditation, and conformity assessment that make up Quality Infrastructure.

Kory Eguino, Executive Secretary

keguino@copant.org

Víctor Gandy, Executive Secretary

secretariat@iaac.org.mx

Claudia Santo, Executive Secretary

secretariat.sim.org@gmail.com