IAEA ANALYTICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMS TO MEET THE PRESENT AND FUTURE-NEEDS OF DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

For many years the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been promoting analytical quality assurance and quality control in its Memb er States with emphasis on measurands that are amenable to analysis by nuclear and related techniques, i.e. radionuclides, trace elements, a nd stable isotopes. This paper reviews briefly the rationale for some of these activities, particularly in relation to the needs of particip ants in developing countries arising out of co-ordinated research prog rammes, technical co-operation projects and global and regional networ ks. Emphasis is given to biological and environmental reference materi als with a matrix of natural origin. Also described are some activitie s arising out of the requirements of ISO-25 and other relevant interna tional quality standards.