- Introduction
- References
- International Association Members
- International Reginal Members
- International Observer Members
- Accreditation Body ISO 17011
- Inspection Body ISO 17020
- Certification Body ISO 17021
- Product Certification Body ISO 17065
- Accreditation Laboratory ISO 17065 / ISO 15185
- Rating Agencies ISO 14064 / ISO 17021
- GHG Verification / Validator
- Privilege membership
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a small landlocked state in the South Caucasus, located in the Armenian Highlands between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Its capital and largest city, Yerevan, is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and remains the country’s main political, economic and cultural centre.
Armenia is a unitary parliamentary republic with a multi‑party system, and it is classified as a developing country with a very high level of human development, ranking around 69th globally on the Human Development Index. The economy has transitioned from a Soviet‑era industrial base to a diversified structure in which services, industry, mining, agriculture and a dynamic IT sector all play important roles, supported significantly by remittances and investment from a large Armenian diaspora.wikipedia+3
Culturally, Armenia is notable as the first state to adopt Christianity as an official religion in the early 4th century, and the Armenian Apostolic Church continues to shape national identity alongside the Armenian language and alphabet. The country’s landscape of ancient monasteries, highland villages and mountain scenery, together with a strong literary, musical and artistic tradition, gives Armenia a distinct cultural profile within the wider Caucasus and Eurasian region
References
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Armenia – general country profile and history
Source: “Armenia” (country article and basic facts).wikipedia+1 -
Political system and human‑development status
Source: Human Development Index data and governance overview for Armenia.gateway.euro.who+1 -
Economic structure and transition
Source: “Economy of Armenia” and trade/economic‑context summaries.wikipedia+1 -
Demography, geography and urbanization
Source: Population structure, urbanization statistics and country overviews.populationpyramids+2 -
Culture and religion (first Christian state, Apostolic Church, heritage)
Source: Cultural and religious background of Armenia
Armenia is an active member of a broad range of universal and specialized international organizations, which it uses to support multilateral diplomacy, economic development, security cooperation and regional integration
Armenia participates in several regional organizations across Eurasia and Europe that shape its security, economic integration and political cooperation
Accreditation Body ISO 17011
Armenia’s national accreditation authority is the National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB), a state non‑commercial organisation operating under the Ministry of Economy as part of the country’s national quality infrastructure. ARMNAB’s mandate is to provide independent accreditation services to conformity assessment bodies (CABs) so that their competence, impartiality and performance are recognised both domestically and, increasingly, in line with international practice.
ARMNAB structures its work in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which sets out criteria for governance, impartiality, transparency, documented procedures, competence of assessors and decision‑making processes. In practical terms, this means ARMNAB must maintain a clear organisational structure with safeguards to avoid conflicts of interest, use technically competent assessors and experts for each accreditation scope, apply consistent assessment methods (including document review, on‑site assessments and surveillance) and keep an effective management system for continual improvement.
The scope of ARMNAB’s accreditation programmes covers testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies, allowing these organisations to demonstrate compliance with relevant standards such as ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratories, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies and ISO/IEC 17065 or ISO/IEC 17021‑1 for product and management‑system certification. Accredited CABs are listed in national registers and can use ARMNAB’s accreditation symbol on reports and certificates, signalling that their activities have been independently evaluated against internationally recognised criteria and that results are technically reliable for regulators, businesses and consumers.
Over the last decade, Armenia has implemented several EU‑ and UNIDO‑supported projects to strengthen ARMNAB and harmonise its procedures with European and international accreditation networks. These twinning and technical‑assistance initiatives have focused on aligning national legislation with EU practices, training assessors, developing sector‑specific accreditation schemes and preparing ARMNAB for wider participation in regional and multilateral recognition arrangements built on ISO/IEC 17011 principles.
ARMNAB works closely with the National Body for Standards and Metrology (NBSM) and other quality‑infrastructure institutions to support Armenia’s trade, industrial policy and regulatory reform agenda. By providing accreditation in line with ISO/IEC 17011, ARMNAB helps ensure that Armenian test results, inspection reports and certifications can be trusted by foreign partners, thereby reducing technical barriers to trade and facilitating the integration of Armenian products and services into regional and global markets
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Inspection Body ISO 17020
In Armenia, the accreditation of inspection bodies is carried out by the National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB), which operates as part of the national quality infrastructure under the Ministry of Economy. ARMNAB uses ISO/IEC 17020 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection as the normative basis for assessing inspection organisations, in line with European and international accreditation practice.
Under the ISO/IEC 17020 programme, ARMNAB accredits Type A, Type B and Type C inspection bodies, covering independent third‑party inspectors, internal inspection units and related‑body inspection services. During accreditation, ARMNAB examines an inspection body’s legal status, organisational structure, mechanisms to safeguard impartiality, competence and training of inspectors, documented inspection methods, use and control of equipment, handling of inspection records and reports, and the effectiveness of its internal management system, including internal audits and corrective actions.
Accredited inspection bodies in Armenia operate in sectors such as industrial equipment and pressure vessels, construction and building safety, transport and lifting devices, energy and utilities, environmental monitoring and product conformity at borders. For example, UNECE’s assessment of Armenia’s trade system highlights the role of accredited inspection and testing bodies in reducing regulatory and procedural barriers to trade by providing trusted conformity evidence that meets importing‑country requirements. EU‑funded twinning and technical‑assistance projects with European accreditation partners have specifically targeted ISO/IEC 17020 implementation, helping ARMNAB to refine its inspection accreditation procedures and align them with the European co‑operation for Accreditation (EA) framework.
ARMNAB publishes its accreditation rules, procedures and lists of accredited bodies, and participates in events such as World Accreditation Day, which in Armenia has been used by the government, UNIDO and the EU to promote the role of accredited inspection, testing and certification services in supporting safer products, environmental protection and market access. By applying ISO/IEC 17020 rigorously, ARMNAB strengthens confidence in Armenian inspection reports among regulators, businesses and international partners, thereby contributing to the reduction of technical barriers to trade and to Armenia’s broader integration into regional and global markets.
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Deming Certification Services:
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- Primarily serves the oil and gas, agriculture, and construction industries with inspection, verification, testing, and certification services.
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- serves Country with a variety of certification services, including ISO 45001 health and safety, ISO 14001 environmental management, and ISO 9001 quality management.
- Six Sigma Quality International
- assists Country businesses in aligning with international standards and best practices by providing certification and training services as per ISO 17024.
In Armenia, management system certification bodies are accredited by the National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB) in line with ISO/IEC 17021‑1 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems.
ISO/IEC 17021‑1 defines how certification bodies must be structured and operate so that audits and certifications of systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 or ISO 27001 are carried out competently, consistently and impartially.
ARMNAB’s accreditation rules set generic criteria for all conformity assessment bodies and include a specific accreditation scheme for management system certification bodies (MSCBs) based on the Armenian adoption HST ISO/IEC 17021‑1‑2015, along with applicable International body and EA documents.
An example is “Certification and Quality” LLC, whose management‑systems certification body has been established according to ISO 17021‑1:2015 and is accredited by ARMNAB under HST ISO/IEC 17021‑1‑2015 and related standards, with its status listed in the unified national register of accredited management‑systems certification bodies
- Deming Certification Services:
- Primarily serves the oil and gas, agriculture, and construction industries with inspection, verification, testing, and certification services.
- Deming certifaction and Ratings
- serves Country with a variety of certification services, including ISO 45001 health and safety, ISO 14001 environmental management, and ISO 9001 quality management.
- Six Sigma Quality International
- assists Country businesses in aligning with international standards and best practices by providing certification and training services as per ISO 17024.
- Deming Ratings
- Deming ratings green building solutions, green company rating, green infrastructure ratings, green railway station rating, green metro ratings, green health care rating, green interior rating,green airport ratings, green compus ratings & green school ratings etc.
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In Armenia, product certification bodies are accredited by the National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB) against ISO/IEC 17065 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services. ISO/IEC 17065 sets out how a product certification body must be organised and operate so that its evaluation, decision‑making and surveillance of products, processes or services are competent, impartial and consistent, and its certificates and marks of conformity can be trusted in national and international trade.
ARMNAB runs a dedicated accreditation scheme for product certification (level 2 – GOST ISO/IEC 17065‑2013 as the national/interstate adoption of ISO/IEC 17065), alongside schemes for testing, calibration and inspection. Under this scheme, each applicant certification body must develop and document product‑certification programmes in line with GOST ISO/IEC 17067, covering type testing, initial factory inspection (where applicable) and ongoing surveillance, all of which are reviewed and approved by ARMNAB before accreditation is granted.
An example is “Certification and Quality” LLC, whose product certification body has been accredited in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17065‑2013 and appointed by the Ministry of Economy as a conformity‑assessment body; it operates within an ARMNAB‑approved scope to certify specified product groups and issues certificates of conformity recognised in Armenia’s regulatory system. At the regional level, the European co‑operation for Accreditation notes that in December 2023 ARMNAB applied to become a multilateral‑recognition (MLA) signatory for, among other fields, certification of products under EN ISO/IEC 17065, which is a key step toward wider international acceptance of Armenian product‑certification results
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- Deming certifaction and Ratings
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Deming Ratings
- Deming ratings green building solutions, green company rating, green infrastructure ratings, green railway station rating, green metro ratings, green health care rating, green interior rating,green airport ratings, green compus ratings & green school ratings etc.
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Six Sigma Labs
- Six sigma labs offer calibration and testing facility , welding test solution , health and hygiene Solution, Product Quality Test facility as per ISO 17025,
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Deming Technologies Lab
- Deming Technologies Lab offer calibration & testing facility on electro technical, Mechanical, Chemical, NDT, Welding testing, Mobile Crane Oprating testing etc.
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
Armenia’s laboratory accreditation is handled by the National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB), which runs specific schemes for testing, calibration and medical laboratories based on international standards ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 15189 (not ISO 17065, which is for product certification bodies).
Testing & calibration laboratories – ISO/IEC 17025
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ARMNAB operates an accreditation scheme for testing and calibration laboratories using the national/interstate adoption GOST ISO/IEC 17025 (equivalent to ISO/IEC 17025:2017).
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ISO/IEC 17025 sets the general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of laboratories, covering management system, method validation, equipment, traceability, reporting and participation in proficiency testing.
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ARMNAB’s policy on metrological traceability explicitly requires accredited laboratories to ensure traceability of measurements through accredited calibration laboratories and technically justified uncertainty budgets.
Medical laboratories – ISO 15189
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For medical laboratories, ARMNAB requires compliance with AST/HST ISO 15189, the Armenian adoption of ISO 15189 “Medical laboratories – Requirements for quality and competence”.
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ARMNAB’s traceability policy specifies that, when accrediting medical labs, the requirements of ISO 15189 must be met, in addition to appropriate handling of measuring devices, uncertainty estimation and documented procedures throughout the diagnostic process.
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ISO 15189 focuses on both technical competence and quality management in medical labs, including pre‑examination, examination and post‑examination processes, personnel competence, equipment management, internal audits and continual improvement.
Clarification on ISO 17065 vs laboratories
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ISO/IEC 17065 is the standard for product, process and service certification bodies, not for laboratories; ARMNAB uses 17065 for accrediting product certification bodies, while 17025 and 15189 are used for laboratory accreditation
Armenia is in the process of building a greenhouse‑gas (GHG) verification and rating framework based on ISO 14064 and ISO 17021‑family principles, but a fully operational national accreditation scheme for GHG verifiers is still emerging rather than mature.
Role of ISO 14064 and ISO 17021
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ISO 14064 (parts 1–3) provides requirements for quantifying, reporting and verifying GHG emissions and removals at organisation and project level, and is the technical backbone for any credible “rating” or verification of emissions performance.
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ISO/IEC 17021‑1 defines how management system certification bodies must operate (structure, competence, impartiality, audit process) and is the typical base standard when such bodies also offer climate‑ or carbon‑related certification services (e.g., ISO 14001 EMS audits supported by 14064‑based GHG inventories).
Armenia’s planned GHG verification system
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A 2024 UNDP study on Armenia’s climate‑change MRV framework explicitly recommends that Armenia establish an accreditation system for GHG verification bodies aligned with ISO 14064, ISO 14065 and ISO 14066, and integrated into a national Climate Change Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (CCMRV) platform.undp
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The same report lists key steps: define objectives for the accreditation system, adopt international verification standards (14064/14065/14066), set competence requirements for verifiers, design the verification process and implement training before launching a full accreditation programme.
Likely accreditation structure
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Armenia’s National Accreditation Body SNCO (ARMNAB) already runs ISO‑based schemes for testing laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), management‑system certification (ISO/IEC 17021‑1) and product certification (ISO/IEC 17065), and is preparing to expand its portfolio in line with European Accreditation MLA requirements.
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The UNDP framework suggests using an accreditation model consistent with ISO/IEC 17011 plus ISO 14065 (requirements for GHG validation/verification bodies), meaning that future Armenian “rating” or verification agencies for GHG data would be accredited as GHG validation/verification bodies, not as ordinary ISO 17021 system certifiers.
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- Deming certifaction and Ratings
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Deming Ratings
- Deming ratings green building solutions, green company rating, green infrastructure ratings, green railway station rating, green metro ratings, green health care rating, green interior rating,green airport ratings, green compus ratings & green school ratings etc.
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Six Sigma Labs
- Six sigma labs offer calibration and testing facility , welding test solution , health and hygiene Solution, Product Quality Test facility as per ISO 17025,
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Deming Technologies Lab
- Deming Technologies Lab offer calibration & testing facility on electro technical, Mechanical, Chemical, NDT, Welding testing, Mobile Crane Oprating testing etc.
- serves Country with a variety of Verification & validation Body services, including ISO 17063, ISO 17064, ISO 17065 Accreditation services
- Deming certifaction and Ratings
Practical implications for “rating agencies”
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Organisations acting as GHG verifiers or raters of carbon footprints, projects or inventories in Armenia will be expected to:
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Apply ISO 14064‑1/2/3 for GHG quantification and verification.
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Operate under an accreditation framework built on ISO 14065 (and, at accreditation‑body level, ISO/IEC 17011), similar to how international accreditors like ANAB or ENAC recognise GHG verification bodies.
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Where they are also management‑system certification bodies (e.g., auditing ISO 14001), comply with ISO/IEC 17021‑1 for their certification activities while using ISO 14064 as the technical reference for emissions‑related claims
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A greenhouse gas (GHG) verifier/validator is an independent, accredited conformity‑assessment body that checks whether an organisation’s or project’s GHG emissions data and claims are complete, accurate and compliant with standards such as ISO 14064.
What GHG verifiers/validators do
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Validation assesses ex‑ante project design and documentation (e.g., a carbon‑reduction project) to judge whether planned methods, baselines and monitoring will generate credible, measurable emission reductions.
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Verification is an ex‑post, evidence‑based review of GHG inventories, carbon footprints or project emission‑reduction results to confirm they are free from material misstatement and prepared in line with agreed criteria (ISO 14064, programme rules, etc.).
Relevant ISO standards
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ISO 14064‑1/‑2/‑3: Requirements and guidance for GHG quantification, reporting and verification at organisation and project level, including how to plan and perform a verification engagement.
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ISO 14065: Requirements for bodies that validate and verify GHG assertions; this is the core accreditation standard for GHG verifiers/validators, covering impartiality, competence, verification methodology and reporting
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ISO 14066: Specifies competence requirements for GHG validation and verification teams (skills, knowledge and experience needed to perform engagements).
Accreditation and “rating agency” role
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GHG verifiers/validators are usually accredited to ISO 14065 by a national accreditation body (e.g., ANAB, UKAS, ENAC), which operates under ISO/IEC 17011; accreditation confirms that their opinions on GHG statements can be trusted by regulators, markets and investors.
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In practice they function like climate‑rating agencies, issuing limited or reasonable assurance opinions on emissions inventories, product or corporate carbon footprints, and project emission‑reduction claims used for sustainability reports, carbon markets and green finance.
Typical services offered
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Verification of corporate GHG inventories (Scopes 1, 2 and often 3) for sustainability reports and targets
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Verification of product carbon footprints and climate‑neutrality or “net‑zero” claims, often supporting labels or declarations.
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Validation and verification of carbon‑offset and mitigation projects under voluntary or compliance schemes, confirming baselines, monitoring plans and achieved emission reductions
Privilege membership” (often spelled privileged or privilege membership) is a marketing term for an exclusive, invite‑only or paid loyalty tier that gives members special benefits beyond what regular customers receive.
Typical meaning
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In plain language, it refers to a select or restricted class of members who receive extra rights, access or advantages compared with standard members.
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Many hotels, retail brands and clubs in India and abroad use “Privilege Membership” as the name of their top or premium loyalty level, highlighting exclusivity and higher benefits.
Common features in programs
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Extra discounts, reward points and early access to offers or sales (e.g., retail “Privilege Membership” programs).
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Special rates, complimentary vouchers and upgrades in hotel “Privilege” or “Privileged” memberships.
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Tiered levels (Gold, Platinum, Reserve, etc.), where each higher tier provides more privilege benefits than the lower ones.el, retail, certification business, etc.), a tailored Privilege Membership structure can be drafted, including benefits, pricing and terms
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Patron Members
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