The IFAC Nominating Committee is seeking to fill seven vacancies on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), including one for a public member. These Board Members will serve an initial term of up to 3 years, commencing January 1, 2021.

To enhance diversity on the Board, the Nominating Committee is particularly interested in receiving nominations of female candidates and nominations from the following regions: Asia, Africa-Middle East, and Latin America-Caribbean.

Candidates will ideally have a public sector background, a strong interest in technical accounting issues and/or experience in standard setting to be able to contribute value to the work of the Board. English proficiency is essential, as this is the language in which the IPSASB operates.

Nominations from a wide range of relevant backgrounds are sought, including, but not limited to, candidates from:

• Preparers of accrual-based financial statements, such those reporting directly or indirectly in accordance with IPSAS or being in the process of transitioning to IPSAS or another accrual-based accounting framework.
• Ministries of Finance and Treasury departments.
• International and regional development organizations.
• Public sector external auditors.
• Users of general purpose financial reports, such as parliamentarians, budget offices, and credit-rating agencies.

All stakeholders, including the general public, IFAC member organizations, and the Forum of Firms are invited to nominate candidates.

The IPSASB is an independent standard-setting body that serves the public interest by setting high-quality accounting standards for use by public sector entities around the world in the preparation of general purpose financial reports.

Deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2020. Please see the Call for Nominations for more details and information on how to submit an application.

This report highlights takeaways from the September 2019 Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee meeting, and outlines key priorities for accountants in business.

The report specifically focuses on:

• Integrated value creation;
• The value of data;
• Action on the SDGs;
• Opportunities and challenges for accountants in SMEs; and 
• Professional ethics.

The International Integrated Reporting Council's meeting, hosted today by IFAC, comes at a seminal moment for corporate reporting. To be accountable to their stakeholders, organizations need to provide a clear and concise picture of their ability to create sustainable value over time. At the same time, rapid change and disruption, driven by climate change and technology, are forcing businesses to reconsider their approach to value creation and reporting.

Over the past decade, the corporate reporting landscape has become a mosaic of mandatory and voluntary disclosures under various standards and frameworks. The result is complexity and reporting that fails to meet the needs of investors and other stakeholders. Convergence towards relevant, reliable, and comparable narrative information and metrics is desperately needed.

Integrated reporting meets today’s expectations for corporate accountability and transparency. IFAC’s partnership with the International Integrated Reporting Council aims to support organizations in developing reporting and thinking that properly considers long-term opportunities and risks.

To address the future of reporting, and the role accountants must play in it, IFAC has published its Point of View on enhancing corporate reporting. Also published on the Gateway is an article from IFAC CEO Kevin Dancey and IIRC Interim CEO Charles Tilley that highlights the evolving role of CFOs and finance teams in accounting for value creation. IFAC is determined to support this evolution through an integrated value creation agenda.

Accountants have a key role to play in this future and must work to drive corporate reporting that meets the demands of the present and the future. This is an enormous opportunity that the profession must seize now.