The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), which unites and connects professional accountancy organizations worldwide, has finalized revisions to the International Education Standards to embed sustainability throughout aspiring professional accountants' training. These updates reinforce the accountancy profession’s role in supporting high-quality sustainability reporting and assurance while upholding integrity and professional quality.
“IFAC and our members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and a shared commitment to the public interest,” said Lee White, IFAC Chief Executive Officer. “These revisions to the education standards ensure that professional accountants worldwide develop the right competencies to implement sustainability reporting and assurance standards effectively.”
The revisions to these foundational education standards establish a global baseline of sustainability competence, ensuring professional accountants worldwide are prepared to implement sustainability-related disclosure and assurance standards. This includes standards issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), as well as those under development by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB).
As sustainability data and information become integral to corporate decision making and transparency, it is crucial that professional accountants are equipped with the necessary skills to provide high-quality reporting and assurance that meets the needs of management, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders.
Key Sustainability Enhancements
- Integrated Sustainability Approach: Sustainability concepts are embedded throughout the IES learning outcomes addressing initial professional development, ensuring professional accountants are able to connect financial and sustainability data and information.
- New Assurance Competence Area: Introduces learning outcomes that allow accountants to develop a strong foundational understanding of assurance fundamentals.
- Strengthened Business Acumen Focus: Enhances accountants' ability to assess sustainability impacts on business models, value chains, and organizational strategy.
- Enabling Behavioral Competencies: Reinforces skills such as decision making, adaptability, and collaboration.
- Expanded Explanatory Materials: Provides additional guidance to facilitate implementation by professional accountancy organizations, universities, and training programs.
Additionally, IFAC has modernized IES 6, Initial Professional Development – Formal Assessment of Professional Competence, to introduce two new principles, integrity and authenticity, and update the principle of equity, alongside enhanced guidance on hybrid and remote assessments.
The updates to the IESs reinforce IFAC’s commitment to strengthening the global accountancy profession through its member organizations, which proudly uphold their role as champions of integrity and professional quality. IFAC calls on all stakeholders to begin preparing for implementation, with early adoption encouraged ahead of the July 1, 2026 effective date.
IFAC also encourages its members and other stakeholders to request permission to translate the revised standards into their local languages. Request permission via the IFAC website here.
Resources for Adoption & Implementation
To support its members effectively adopt and use these revised standards, IFAC has developed a package of resources, including two fact sheets, a frequently asked questions document, and two Bases for Conclusions, which set out the changes to learning outcomes, including the rationale for what was changed and what was not.
Additionally, two webinars will be held in April, providing global audiences with an overview of the revised standards and their application, as well as an opportunity to address specific questions.
Each of the revised standards—IES 2, 3, 4, and 6—has been published in full ahead of the anticipated release of an updated Handbook of International Education Pronouncements in late 2025.
For more information on the revised standards, visit the IFAC website.
About IFAC
IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global.
IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality, and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition.
IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.
