Accreditation was identified as a business transformation initiative to raise the Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO’s) visibility as a leading global productivity organization. It also enhances the capability of NPOs by expanding their activities to include certification and subsequently increase the number of accredited productivity professionals in their countries. The APO Accreditation Body (APO-AB) was set up to oversee accreditation and certification procedures, including recognizing NPOs or affiliated organizations as APO certification bodies (CBs). To ensure alignment with international requirements, the organizational structure of the APO-AB includes a council and specialized technical working groups. The council, as the highest authority, sets the overall vision, mission, and direction of the APO-AB and is composed of a chair and representatives of NPOs, member governments, national CBs, and industry. The inaugural meeting was held in Tokyo in 2018, presided over by the APO Secretary-General.

The AB Council reconvened on 10 and 11 December 2019 to discuss progress, issues, and future directions of APO accreditation activities. The annual meeting was chaired by APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan and attended by Secretariat staff as well as:

• APO Director for Singapore
• NPO Heads of Fiji, Malaysia, and Pakistan
• Representatives of the Japan Productivity Center
• Chairman, Indonesia Professional Certification Authority
• Vice President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan
• Representative, Japan Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant Association (J-SMECA)
• Senior Assistant Director, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• Director, Business Support Department, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
• President, Foundation for Industrial Development, Management System Certification Institute, Thailand
• Representative, Institute of Future Research, Stellenbosch University, South Africa,
• Observers from the Ministry of Manpower, Republic of Indonesia
• Observers from the Indonesia Professional Certification Authority
• Observers from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan

Specific recommendations were made to the Secretariat on improving the management of the APO-AB, requirements and roles of NPOs as CBs, and harmonizing the standards and competency levels for productivity specialists in member countries.