Save the dates! Global Roundtables to Influence Direction of IESBA’s Sustainability Work
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) will hold a series of four global roundtables to obtain stakeholder input to help shape the development of new ethics and independence standards for sustainability reporting and assurance.
Demand for timely, relevant, and trustworthy sustainability information has risen dramatically in recent years as such information is increasingly being used to support capital allocation or other decisions by investors, customers, workers, government agencies, and other stakeholders. In response to such demand, the IESBA announced in June 2022 its commitment to take timely action to develop fit-for-purpose, globally applicable ethics and independence standards as a critical part of the infrastructure needed to support transparent, relevant, and trustworthy sustainability reporting and assurance. Importantly, this strategic commitment sets up the IESBA’s ethics and independence standards as the third pillar to trustworthy sustainability reporting and assurance, alongside the standards being developed by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB).
In December 2022, the IESBA approved two new standard-setting projects that will develop profession-agnostic ethics and independence standards for sustainability reporting and assurance and on the related topic of “use of experts.”
The quality of the standards to be developed and their ability to meet the needs of the users and any providers of sustainability information will critically depend on timely contributions and input from stakeholders globally. The roundtables being organized aim at providing stakeholders the opportunity to convey relevant information to be addressed in developing the standards.
Save the dates! The roundtables will be held in person at the following times and locations:
- Friday, March 24 - Paris, France
- Thursday, March 30 - Sydney, Australia
- Monday, April 3 - Singapore
- Thursday, April 6 - New York, USA
The agenda for the roundtables will be available in due course. Videoconferencing facilities will be made available for participants who are not able to attend in person, where available.
Would you like to attend?
As space is limited, attendance will be by invitation only. Register your interest at IESBA@ethicsboard.org by February 1, 2023, indicating your name, job title, organization, location, and session. An invitation will follow shortly to the selected interested stakeholders!
Who should attend?
Members of the investor and corporate governance communities, data aggregators, rating agencies, and other users of sustainability information; C-suite executives including those leading corporate sustainability initiatives; regulators and oversight bodies; international policy-making organizations; national standard setters; preparers; professional accountancy organizations; and sustainability assurance providers, including accountancy firms and independent providers outside the accountancy profession.
About IESBA
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code).