20 May 2022

IFRS: G7 welcomes ISSB's work to deliver global baseline of sustainability disclosures

The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors have today issued a Communique in which they refer to the work of the IFRS Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

The G7 welcomes the inauguration of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and its progress of work on the global baseline of sustainability reporting standards. We welcome the ISSB “path to global baseline” statement of 18 May 2022 and call on all relevant stakeholders to participate in the ongoing consultation on the proposed standards. We urge the ISSB and national and regional standard-setters as well as other reporting initiatives to actively cooperate in the process of elaborating the baseline with the aim of reaching standards that can be implemented globally.

The baseline should be practical, flexible and proportionate and ultimately suitable for small- and medium-size enterprises and enable jurisdictions to implement the baseline and a more extensive approach to supplement the baseline. We encourage countries to prepare or continue to prepare the ground for usage of the baseline, aim to ensure interoperability of national and regional standards and the global baseline in order to minimise fragmentation of reporting requirements, reduce reporting burdens, and enable the availability of consistent sustainability information for users. We encourage the ISSB to continue its work on sustainability reporting standards beyond climate, such as nature and social issues.

In response, Emmanuel Faber, Chair of the ISSB, said:

We are encouraged by the G7’s endorsement of our work to deliver a global baseline of sustainability disclosures for the capital markets. We reaffirm our commitment to work in close cooperation with jurisdictions and market participants, both on development and adoption of the global baseline and its interoperability with broader jurisdictional requirements.

IFRS

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