Dubai-based International Halal Accreditation Forum finalizing by-law for General Assembly approval

Dubai-based International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) is finalizing the drafting of its by-law that will be deliberated by its General Assembly in November, the organization said in a statement yesterday.

The organization's Secretary-General, Mohamed Saleh Badri, said that although halal standards and processes are based on universal principles and teachings of Islam, the halal industry is yet to use a single set of determinants and one all-encompassing halal mark. 

"More than a hundred halal marks are currently being used all over the globe. IHAF’s ultimate mission is to unify halal criteria and halal practices and generate a global agreement among the authorities that would ease the flow of halal goods between countries and create a halal market that consumers can trust," said Badri. 

IHAF was launched with a signing ceremony in May held by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), which kickstarted the formation of a working group to prepare its statue and organizational structure. 

Its membership is open to all accreditation bodies for conformity assessment activities that represent their countries in the halal sector. 

IHAF has 10 founding members:

1. Dubai Municipality (Dubai Accreditation Center)

2. Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Emirates National Accreditation System)

3. American Association for Laboratory Accreditation

4. Pakistan National Accreditation Council

5. Entidad Nacional de Acreditacion (Spain)

6. GCC Accreditation Centre

7. Saudi Accreditation Committee

8. United Kingdom Accreditation Service

9. Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand

10. National Council for Accreditation Egypt

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