23 September 2020. Today the Republican Center of Forensic Expertise named after Kh. Sulaymonova (RCFE) under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan officially received the accreditation certificate for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration laboratories. Mr. Khudoyor Meliyev, Deputy Minister of Justice and Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative to Central Asia attended the ceremony. Ms Deborah Robinson, Acting Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission in Uzbekistan joined the event through online video conference platform.
“Technical competences of the drug testing and DNA laboratories of the Republican Centre of Forensic Expertise are now recognized by the external independent accreditation body as fully compliant with international standard ISO/IEC 17025. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation certificate shows your customers that your laboratories value quality and that you have taken steps to ensure that your testing results are accurate and reliable”, Ms. Mittal remarked.
The laboratory for forensic research of materials, substances and products and the laboratory for the study of human DNA under the Republican Center of Forensic Expertise have successfully passed an independent evaluation and were found compliant with the relevant requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories". The accreditation certificate was issued in June of this year by the Kazakhstan National Center of Accreditation, which is a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), as well as the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and a signatory of the APLAC MRA on the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025).
“I believe that this achievement will suit the fundamental reforms being undertaken in Uzbekistan under the leadership of the President Mirziyoyev in all spheres of life and contribute to the development of the sphere of forensic expertise. We truly appreciate our partners’ assistance, and I am sure that our organizations will continue to develop dynamic and mutually beneficial relations”, said Mr. Khudoyor Meliyev, Deputy Minister of Justice.
The successful accreditation was the result of a three-year-long collaboration between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Republican Center of Forensic Expertise named after Kh. Sulaymonova (RCFE) under the Ministry of Justice within Sub-programme 4 "Research and Trend Analysis" of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia for 2015-2020. UNODC supports laboratories in the introduction and implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) through initiatives such as the provision of reference samples of controlled substances, guidelines for laboratories on recommended analysis methods, training opportunities and participation in the International Collaborative Exercises programme, and by promoting and facilitating the exchange of information, materials and data.
The donor for the laboratory support component is the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
"This program represents the best aspect of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Uzbekistan, namely our ability to work together towards a common goal. The attainment of international accreditation by three government forensic labs marks a significant achievement for Uzbekistan, one which will strengthen the criminal justice system and the rule of law,” said Deborah Robinson, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Tashkent.
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