22 November 2024

IFAC Recognizes and Supports IAASB’s Newly Published Sustainability Standard;

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) welcomes the International Audit and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) publishing its International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has also issued its public statement of support. 

Lee White, IFAC Chief Executive Officer, said “In recent years there has been a significant transformation with the reporting of sustainability-related information. Assurance plays an essential role in ensuring the quality, comparability, and trustworthiness of this information, as it does with financial information. IOSCO has shown proactive leadership in the development of the sustainability transformation journey, and its support for the work of the IAASB on ISSA 5000 is another important step.” 

As a profession-agnostic standard, ISSA 5000 is available for use by practitioners outside of the accountancy profession.  If non-professional accountants assert to using ISSA 5000 for assurance, it is absolutely critical for investor and consumer protection that such providers are held by jurisdictional regulators to the same regulatory oversight and requirements that apply to professional accountants.

Mr. White continued, “IFAC’s professional accountancy member organizations around the globe, which represent millions of individual accountants, are champions of integrity and quality.  Our profession is united by a deep commitment to work with regulators, practitioners, and organizations globally to facilitate smooth and timely implementation of international standards, such as ISSA 5000, in order to serve the public interest need.”

IFAC has developed a high-level overview to help stakeholders – preparers, auditors, and investors – anticipate what to expect from sustainability assurance, especially in its early days.

IFAC

© IFAC - International Federation of Accountants