This Basis for Conclusions pertains to the Using the Work of an External Expert Final Pronouncement, which provides an ethical framework to guide professional accountants or sustainability assurance practitioners, as applicable, in evaluating whether an external expert has the necessary competence, capabilities and objectivity in order to use that expert’s work for the intended purposes. The standard also include provisions to aid in applying the Code’s conceptual framework when using the work of an external expert.

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants® (IESBA®) has revised its Code of Ethics to include specific, fit-for-purpose ethics provisions for preparers of sustainability disclosures in the public interest. Learn more about these changes in this high-level summary.

This summary provides a technical overview of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants' (IESBA) pronouncement Using the Work of An External Expert.

The International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (including International Independence Standards) and related revisions to the Code, address critical risks to the integrity, quality and effectiveness of sustainability reporting and assurance such as bias, conflicts of interest, pressure to act unethically, fraud including greenwashing, non-compliance with laws and regulations, and threats to the independence of the assurance practitioners.

The Using the Work of an External Expert Final Pronouncement provides an ethical framework to guide professional accountants or sustainability assurance practitioners, as applicable, in evaluating whether an external expert has the necessary competence, capabilities and objectivity in order to use that expert’s work for the intended purposes. The standard also include provisions to aid in applying the Code’s conceptual framework when using the work of an external expert.