Strengthening the Compliance of the OIC Member States
to International Standards
79
Box 6: Bangladesh Accreditation Board
The BAB was established under the Ministry of Industries in November 2006 through an Act passed by
Parliament. It is an autonomous organization mandated to upgrade the quality assurance infrastructure
and conformity assessment procedures in Bangladesh. It offers accreditation to different types of
conformity assessment bodies in line with international standards.
The BAB is empowered to accredit Testing and Calibration Laboratories (ISO/IEC-17025), Medical
Laboratories (ISO-15189), Inspection Bodies (ISO/IEC-17021), Personnel Certification (ISO/IEC-
17024), and Product Certification (ISO/IEC Guide 65). It is responsible for framing policies and
approving rules and regulations for accreditation, and establishing multilateral recognition
arrangements (MLA) with regional and international accreditation bodies. It undertakes training
programs, seminars-symposiums, proficiency testing, and harmonization of standards.
Currently, accreditation arrangements are managed at the global level by the Australia-based
International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) in the area of laboratory and inspection
accreditation, and the Canada-based International Accreditation Forum (IAF) in the fields of
management systems, products, services, and personnel. Both these organizations work together and
coordinate efforts to promote accreditations and conformity assessments throughout the world.
The BAB obtained Associate Membership of Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC)
in 2007, Affiliate Membership of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) in 2010,
and Associate Membership of Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) in 2011. It has already started
extending accreditations to some laboratories in the country and expects to widen its activities soon in
line with the government’s vision for a Digital Bangladesh. The Board hopes to obtain full membership
of both ILAC and IAF within a short time, which will greatly facilitate exports of Bangladeshi products
both in regional and international markets.
Source: Dr. Helal Indhin Ahmed, Joint Secretary to the government, Financial Express, 1 July 2012, p. 6.
Standardization practice in Bangladesh generally conforms to WTO rules, in terms of being non-
discriminatory, least trade restrictive, and having a scientific basis. However, not all new measures are
notified to the relevant WTO Committees—a feature that is not unusual, in particular for developing and
least developed countries.
Bangladesh has no MRAs on SPS/TBT issues, but it has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with
India and Pakistan. BSTI also has a Bilateral Cooperation Agreement (BCA) with India and has regular
correspondence with the Indian Bureau of Standards (BIS). Moreover, MoUs with Nepal, Turkey, and
Saudi Arabia are finalized but yet to be signed.