This Call for Applications is an official notice for the general public outlining the responsibilities and selections process for the volunteer IAESB Chair role. The IAESB Chair leads a board of 17 volunteer members in setting international standards for accounting education. These global standards and related guidance set forth the principles that strengthen the professional skills, values, ethics and attitudes for accountants’ initial and continuing professional development.

It’s time to fix a costly fracture in the global economy.

IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) and Business at the OECD (BIAC) surveyed over 250 regulatory and compliance leaders from major global financial institutions to estimate that a piecemeal approach to financial sector regulation costs the global economy $780 billion USD a year.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants^® (IESBA^®) today released a completely rewritten Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants that is easier to navigate, use and enforce. Beyond the new structure, the Code brings together key ethics advances over the past four years, and is clearer about how accountants should deal with ethics and independence issues.

While the fundamental principles of ethics have not changed, major revisions have been made to the unifying conceptual framework—the approach used by all professional accountants to identify, evaluate and address threats to compliance with the fundamental principles and, where applicable, independence. New Code highlights include: 

• Revised “safeguards” provisions better aligned to threats to compliance with the fundamental principles;
• Stronger independence provisions regarding long association of personnel with audit clients;
• New and revised sections dedicated to professional accountants in business (PAIBs) relating to:
  • preparing and presenting information; and
  • pressure to breach the fundamental principles.
• Clear guidance for accountants in public practice that relevant PAIB provisions are applicable to them;
• New guidance to emphasize the importance of understanding facts and circumstances when exercising professional judgment; and
• New guidance to explain how compliance with the fundamental principles supports the exercise of professional skepticism in an audit or other assurance engagements.

“This is a groundbreaking moment in the public interest. The Code is now a significantly strengthened platform, re-engineered for greater usability while maintaining global applicability. It underscores the importance of the fundamental principles for all professional accountants,” said IESBA Chairman Dr. Stavros Thomadakis. “Critical work begins now within firms, national standards setters, regulators and audit oversight bodies, educators, IFAC member bodies and others to promote awareness of the Code, and support its adoption and implementation.”

“I congratulate the IESBA on this significant achievement,” said Kristian Koktvedgaard, Chair of IESBA’s multi-stakeholder Consultative Advisory Group (CAG). “A strong international Code of Ethics is one of the defining characteristics of the global accountancy profession. Clearer, more usable and enforceable independence and ethics standards are essential to public trust in the profession. The new Code establishes a solid base for “future-ready” ethics standards, and I am pleased that the CAG contributed to its development.”

Renamed the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants^TM (including International Independence Standards^TM), the new Code becomes effective in June 2019. It is the culmination of extensive research and global stakeholder consultation. Stakeholders can now access the new Code on the IESBA’s website, where implementation resources and other supporting materials will be released throughout the period leading up to the effective date.

About the IESBA
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants is an independent standard-setting board that develops and issues, in the public interest, high-quality ethical standards and other pronouncements for professional accountants worldwide. Through its activities, the IESBA develops the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, which establishes ethical requirements for professional accountants. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IESBA are facilitated by IFAC. Please visit www.ethicsboard.org for more information, and follow us on Twitter @Ethics_Board.

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 more than 175 members and associates in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.8 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

The IPSASB held its first meeting of the year from March 6-9, 2018 in New York City, USA. 

This Call for Applications is an official notice for the general public outlining the requirements and job description of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board Chair. The Chair leads the IAASB’s strategic direction and development of high-quality international audit standards as well as facilitates the consultative processes that underpin the board’s credibility and activities.

The Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance, the nation’s Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB), IFAC (the International Federation of Accountants) and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), gathered more than 200 senior officials from central and local government to discuss next steps in Zimbabwe’s migration to accrual accounting based on International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSAS®).

Opening the meeting, Finance and Economic Planning Deputy Minister Terence Mukupe reaffirmed the government’s commitment to high quality accrual-based public financial reporting as a cornerstone of sound public financial management and effective, efficient public service delivery.

The Chief Secretary, Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr. M.J.M Sibanda, sent a message of support that confirmed political backing at the nation’s highest level. He acknowledged the contribution of quality accrual-based public financial reporting to enhanced public sector transparency and accountability—an essential element in building trust and confidence in government amongst the people, as well as domestic and foreign investors.

Key development partners in Zimbabwe, including the European Union, International Monetary Fund, UK Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank, shared their expectations for PFM Reform in Zimbabwe. They encouraged the government to use the recently-completed Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment to develop a national PFM Reform strategy.

Participants actively identified accrual accounting implementation solutions, drawing on global, regional, and local best practices shared by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Organisation of English-speaking African Supreme Audit Institutions, the Government of South Africa, and Government of Tanzania.

As an essential partner to government, the accountancy profession committed to continued strengthening of central and local government accountancy capacity—including attendees being offered access to CIPFA’s Certificate in IPSAS.

Key outcomes highlighted by Zimbabwe’s Accountant General, Daniel Muchemwa, included the establishment of a policymaking steering committee that will be supported by an implementation working group comprising meeting participants. They will meet quarterly to establish a high level implementation strategy and monitor progress in the migration to accrual accounting.

The event was supported by IFAC and CIPFA, and funded with UK aid from the UK government.

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 more than 175 members and associates in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing almost 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

In 2014, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) reached an agreement with IFAC to provide funding of almost £5 million for PAO capacity building in at least ten emerging countries over seven years. One of the projects under the IFAC Capacity Building Program using DFID funding is currently underway in Zimbabwe.

About DFID

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty. We're ending the need for aid by creating jobs, unlocking the potential of girls and women and helping to save lives when humanitarian emergencies hit. For more information visit www.gov.uk/dfid.

About PAAB

The Public Accountants and Auditors Board, Zimbabwe (PAAB) functions in terms of the Public Accountants and Auditors Act [Chapter 27:12]. It is the regulatory body for the accountancy profession in Zimbabwe. The PAAB’s mission is to protect the financial interests of the people of Zimbabwe and those with interests in the Zimbabwean economy by ensuring the maintenance of high standards of professional performance by members of the accountancy profession to foster investment.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) will hold roundtables in Washington (June 11^th), Paris (June 15^th) and Tokyo (July 12^th) to obtain stakeholder feedback on significant public interest topics including non-assurance services (NAS) and the exercise of professional skepticism.

To help shape the future of IESBA’s standard setting, the roundtable consultations will focus on:

Non-Assurance Services (NAS)
To enhance auditor independence, how best to delineate both the boundaries and types of NAS auditors can provide to their audit clients? Auditor independence is critical to public trust in audited financial statements. We’ve launched a NAS initiative to explore broad permissibility under the IESBA’s International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) in response to global regulatory developments and calls from stakeholders and the Public Interest Oversight Board.

Professional Skepticism
How best to meet public expectations for all professional accountants, including auditors, to exercise “professional skepticism”? We’ve launched an initiative to explore: the behavioral characteristics inherent in professional skepticism; whether those characteristics should be applied by all professional accountants; and whether the Code should be further developed.

Save the dates! The roundtables will be held in:

• Washington, D.C., USA on June 11, 2018; 
• Paris, France on June 15, 2018; and 
• Tokyo, Japan on July 12, 2018. 

Would you like to attend?
As space is limited, attendance will be by invitation only. Register your interest (IESBA@ethicsboard.org) by April 30, 2018, indicating your name, job title, organization and preferred location. An invitation will follow shortly!

Who should attend?
Investors, audit committee members, preparers, regulators and audit oversight authorities, academics, national standards setters, firms and IFAC member bodies.

About the IESBA
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, that seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants (PAs) worldwide through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (Including International Independence Standards) (the Code). Please visit www.ethicsboard.org for more information.