Establishment Of A Validation And Verification Scheme Under ISO/IEC 17029
Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) is working to establish and operationalize a validation and verification accreditation scheme, aligned to the ISO/IEC 17029 standard. Currently, the scopes under focus in this scheme will be in the aviation and agriculture sector for Green House Gases.
As a matter of priority, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme (CORSIA) for international aviation is under consideration for accreditation of Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs). CORSIA is a global offsetting scheme in which airlines and other aircraft operators offset any growth in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions above 2020 levels which is estimated at 100,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The aim is to stabilize aviation’s net CO2 emissions, while other emission reduction measures, such as technology, sustainable aviation fuel operations, and infrastructure options, are pursued.
Aviation emissions from international flights are not included in the international climate regime administered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as they fall outside of the scope of nationally-determined climate action. Instead, these emissions are being dealt with under CORSIA scheme by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Following many years of multilateral engagements, ICAO made a historic decision to adopt a global market-based measure for aviation emissions.
The European Union (EU) has financed a technical cooperation arrangement with the overall objective of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the civil aviation sector in Africa and the Caribbean. They intend to achieve this, by assisting African countries to enhance their capacity to implement the CORSIA. The implementation of CORSIA is in three phases, namely: initial (2021-2023); voluntary (2024-2026); and mandatory (from 2027).
Consequently, the EU in collaboration with partners, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), and Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS), organized a capacity-building workshop themed ‘’Opportunities and advantages for an Accreditation Body offering the scope of “validation and verification” according to the ISO/IEC 17029 and ISO 14065 standards and the CORSIA sub-scope.’’
The workshop was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Upper Hill, Nairobi from 16th – 18th January 2023 and included participants from KCAA, KENAS, validation and verification bodies, and airline operators. The capacity building workshop was aimed at imparting knowledge to the participants on the requirements of ISO/IEC 17029, ISO 14065, ISO 14063, ISO 14064; and CORSIA as provided for in the manuals and operating procedures.
Photo 1: John Shideler & Africa Abajas, the EASA technical leads capacity building different stakeholders during the workshop.
Photo 2: KENAS Chief Executive Officer, Mr Martin Chesire giving a speech during the closing ceremony on the 3rd day of the event
The workshop provided an opportunity for the various stakeholders to interact and have deliberation on matters relating to the implementation of the CORSIA scope under the ISO/IEC 17029 KENAS accreditation scheme. In addition, other areas with potential for accreditation in the Kenyan economy were identified, including claims relating to construction technology, energy management, financial management, industrial automation systems, software and systems engineering, artificial intelligence, information technology, healthcare products and medical devices, machine safety, safety and design engineering, and social responsibility. It was also noted that this was a first step towards implementation of ISO/IEC 17029 and CORSIA scope and all stakeholders present promised to take up their roles in ensuring the scheme is established by January 2024 which marks the end of the pilot phase and start of the voluntary phase for the CORSIA implementation as provided by ICAO.
KENAS wishes to acknowledge the EU who are the project sponsor, EASA, the project implementer, African Civil Aviation Cooperation (AFCAC) and KCAA for the instrumental roles they played during this validation and verification capacity-building workshop.