U.S. Government Supports Partnership Between American National Standards Institute and Georgian Accreditation Center

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Agency for International Development's Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI) supports the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Georgian Accreditation Center (GAC). The signing ceremony took place in the framework of the America Georgia Business Council's 14th Annual Conference at Courtyard Marriott in Tbilisi on October 25, 2011.

This memorandum lays the foundation for long-term cooperation between ANSI and GAC and will facilitate GAC's eventual recognition by international accreditation organizations such as the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Under the memorandum, ANSI will help GAC develop a roadmap to bring Georgian national accreditation and conformity assessment systems in line with international standards, which is a critical step in developing Georgia's quality infrastructure. Once these systems are in place, Georgian laboratories and certification bodies will be able to issue the internationally accepted certificates and test reports, which in turn will facilitate the export of Georgian products across the world. Georgia will also be positioned to become a regional leader in conformity assessment.

One of EPI's goals is to improve business enabling environment in the country. As part of this initiative, EPI focuses on streamlining the regulatory framework of licensing based on the needs of selected value chains in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors for improving competitiveness of their products and services.

About USAID in Georgia
During the past 18 years, the American people, through USAID, have invested about $1.5 billion in Georgia. USAID projects are designed to support Georgia's transition to a free and prosperous democracy and include initiatives to accelerate economic growth, develop democratic institutions, and improve health and education. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries.  For more information, please visit http://georgia.usaid.gov.

About EPI
The USAID-funded Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI) is a four-year $40 million program implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP and a team of leading Georgian and U.S. experts. The program is designed to improve overall country-level competitiveness through increased efficiency and value added in Georgian enterprises, resulting in further growth of Georgian economy. Targeted results of the program include enhanced sectoral productivity, greater business access to finance, increased investment, and job growth. For more information, please visit the program's Web site http://www.epiGeorgia.com.

About GAC
GAC is delegated to provide accreditation in the field of conformity assessment on the basis of Georgian Law on "Certification of Goods and Services". It is entitled to establish cooperation with international and regional organizations in the sector. GAC is not-for-profit organization.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide. The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electro technical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute