Audit committees have a critical role to play in expanding their existing financial reporting oversight responsibilities as reporting and assurance of sustainability-related disclosure evolves.

Given that many professional accountants serve on and are accountable to audit committees, there is also a key role for professional accountancy organizations (PAOs) to support their members to stay up to date with, and prepare for, expanding oversight responsibilities in relation to sustainability.

IFAC welcomes this comprehensive review of IFRS for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In principle, we support alignment of IFRS for SMEs with full IFRS Standards. As a basic standard-setting principle we believe the concepts that underpin IFRS and IFRS for SMEs should be the same, notwithstanding that their application may need to be modified to address user needs and capacity constraints of SMEs.

A new tool from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is now available to help professional accountancy organizations take leading roles in the anti-corruption fight in their jurisdictions. Global Fight, Local Actions: Anti-Corruption Advocacy Workbook for PAOs equips PAOs and accountancy profession leaders with the background and framework to craft bespoke approaches and messages that best fit their jurisdiction and needs.

Global Fight, Local Actions was used to facilitate discussion at the annual Pan African Federation of Accountants PAO Leadership Forum as part of a workshop on anti-money laundering and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “Grey List.” The PAFA Forum was held in advance of the 2023 African Congress of Accountants, taking place this week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

“PAOs and the accountancy profession are essential stakeholders at the center of the fight against corruption, in every jurisdiction, in every region,” said Scott Hanson, Director of Policy & Global Engagement at IFAC. “Equipping our member organizations to lead anti-corruption efforts in their jurisdictions was one of our priority actions in last year’s Action Plan for Fighting Corruption and Economic Crime, which this new workbook delivers. We look forward to talking to PAOs around the world to continue helping them develop their national anti-corruption advocacy plans.”

IFAC also plans to build off Global Fight, Local Action with additional initiatives on priority anti-corruption areas, including the interconnected issues of sustainability reporting, public financial management, and financial literacy.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 180 members and associates in 135 countries and jurisdictions, representing more than 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.