The launch event of the Georgian Laboratory Association (GeLab) scheduled for March 2 (Wednesday) will be held online due to the pandemic situation.
The stakeholders, including experts and consultants of UNIDO-GQSP Project, interested in the development of laboratory infrastructure of Georgia, will attend the event.
For the agenda of the event, please follow the link – Program.
The UNIDO-GQSP project "Value Chain Analysis of Fruits and Vegetables in Georgia" initiated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA), has been implemented since 2020 (continues until the end of 2022) by the Global Quality and Standards Program (GQSP) of the United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO) under the sponsorship of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO).
The objectives of this project are to strengthen the capacity of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) serving the value chain of fruits and vegetables, contribute to upgrading the producer's ability to comply with market requirements, thereby facilitating market access for SMEs, and ultimately enhancing export capacities of fruits & vegetable from Georgia, mainly to the EU market.
The project intervention is linked to Outcome 1 of the Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP), aimed at strengthening the capacity of conformity assessment bodies (CABs), in particular, the laboratory services.
The project focuses on the following three outputs:
- Conducting an in-depth analysis of Georgia’s fruit & vegetable value chain;
- Capacity building of CABs to ensure that the quality infrastructure services are capable of proving compliance with the EU market requirements;
- Developing the Laboratory Infrastructure Roadmap.
Activities implemented within the project
- Relevant Value Chain Study was conducted for several agricultural products selected according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. The study was translated into Georgian and published.
- Trainings were conducted for CABs (laboratories, standardization/metrology, accreditation) in relation to the international standard relevant for the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO/IEC17025:2017);
- A UNIDO handbook on the application of ISO/IEC17025:2017 international standard was translated into Georgian and published - Tested & Accepted – Implementing ISO/IEC 17025;
- Information on CABs in Georgia (laboratories, certification and inspection bodies) was included in the UNIDO LabNet database;
- Effective steps were undertaken to strengthen the laboratory network throughout the country, in particular, the activities of Georgian Laboratory Association (GeLab) were updated with the involvement of foreign experts, a unified platform was created, and a calendar of future events & activities was planned.
At the final phase of the project, the development of a strategic roadmap for laboratory infrastructure in the country is envisaged, and the GeLab is considered to be one of the important partners of the project. This guideline can form the basis for the development of a state policy regarding laboratories in Georgia.
A guiding document for the development and implementation of Laboratory Policy has been proposed by UNIDO.
