About the Global ACI MRA

Global ACI members are admitted to the Global ACI MRA only after a stringent evaluation of their operations by a peer evaluation team charged to ensure that the applicant complies fully with both international standards and Global ACI requirements. Accreditation body signatories of the Global ACI MRA are designated as Global ACI Full Members, while regional cooperation body signatories are designated as Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies.

Global ACI MRA signatories commit to recognising other signatories’ accreditation programmes and competence as equivalent, except when prohibited by regulation or law. This mutual recognition supports the reduction of technical barriers to trade, facilitates international acceptance of accredited results, and strengthens trust in accredited activities globally.

The Global ACI MRA consists of a five-level arrangement, with levels 2 and 3 constituting main scopes and levels 4 and 5 constituting sub-scopes. More information on the structure of the MRA can be found in Global ACI MRA-001 Multilateral Recognition Arrangement: Structure, Scope and Obligations, and the current status of the Global ACI MRA is available in Global ACI FMRA-001 Structure and Normative Documents Under the Scope of the Global ACI MRA.

The Global ACI MRA relies heavily on the MRAs of Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies, which include:

These groups perform the majority of peer evaluation activities, not Global ACI.

To gain confidence in the work of Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies, Global ACI evaluates and accepts the process and outcomes of their MRAs for main scopes and related sub-scopes. Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies are evaluated at regular intervals by Global ACI. Global ACI accreditation body members who are signatories of the Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies’ MRAs may be accepted into the Global ACI MRA for recognised programs.