Wherever possible, PAO Development Committee members and IFAC Member Body Development staff conduct outreach to engage with PAOs, regional organizations, the donor community, regulators, and a wide range of other stakeholders.

Tunisia

A PAO Development Committee meeting took place on May 1-2, 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia, coinciding with a conference on governance and transparency in the public sector, co-hosted by the Ordre des Experts Comptables de Tunisie (OECT) and the Pan-African Federation of Accountants (PAFA), and a meeting of the Arab Federation of Accounting and Auditing (AFAA). IFAC President Göran Tidström, PAO Development Committee Chair Deborah Williams, and other members of IFAC leadership gave presentations at the PAFA meeting along with key regional and national stakeholders (for more information on PAFA, please see the PAFA launch press release). Attendees at the OECT-PAFA conference and the AFAA meeting also participated in breakout sessions during the PAO Development Committee meeting to discuss aspects of the development of the profession and PAOs in Africa and other regions.

Russia

In April 2012, Daria Koukhar, IFAC technical manager with the Member Body Development Team, undertook an outreach trip to Russia to meet with professional accountancy organizations (IFAC members and organizations working toward IFAC membership) to discuss their implementation of Compliance Program Action Plans and provide an update on the SMO revision project.

Italy

In April 2012, Gabriella Kusz, IFAC technical manager with the Member Body Development Team, presented at the board meeting of the Fédération des Experts Comptables Méditerranéens (Federation of Mediterranean Accountants, or FCM) regarding the work of the PAO Development Committee and the strategy for the Europe and Central Asia region. Meetings with individual FCM member PAOs to discuss development and the importance of Compliance Program Action Plans were also held.

Afghanistan Stakeholders' Roundtable, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Ahmad Almeghames, Deputy Chair of the PAO Development Committee, spoke at the Afghanistan Stakeholders’ Roundtable, hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants on March 14, 2012, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event focused on working together to build the accountancy profession in Afghanistan, and was attended by, among others, representatives from key employers, the World Bank, and the British Council. Dr. Almeghames emphasized the important role of PAOs, key considerations in their development, and the range of support IFAC can offer along the way.

MOSAIC Steering Committee Meeting in India

On February 22, 2012, the MOSAIC (Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Accountancy and Improve Collaboration) inaugural Steering Committee Meeting held in Jaipur, India. The meeting was generously co-hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and was held at the Marriott Hotel Jaipur. The MOSAIC MOU between the donor community and IFAC is an historic agreement that underlies the goals and objectives of the PAO Development Committee and works to enhance donor support for the establishment and strengthening of PAOs around the world. This first meeting built on MOSAIC’s signing in Busan, South Korea, in November 2011, and worked to create consensus around: goals and objectives of MOSAIC; establishment of the MOSAIC Steering Committee; establishment of the MOSAIC Secretariat; and a proposed Work Program. Event photos and the IFAC presentation are available here.

Kuwait

Gabriella Kusz, IFAC Technical Manager with the member body development team, traveled to Kuwait City, Kuwait, in February 2012 to conduct outreach with the Kuwaiti Association of Accountants and Auditors (KAAA) relating to implementation of their Action Plan and enhancing dialogue with key regulatory stakeholders. During this outreach, staff and KAAA met with representatives from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Capital Markets Authority and Central Bank of Kuwait to raise awareness regarding the role of the accountancy profession in the country, the IFAC Statements of Membership Obligations, and the value of the IFAC Compliance Program. The presentation and event photos are available here.

Mentoring Insights—The Mentor Perspective

Over 40 participants representing 19 countries gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for IFAC’s Mentoring Insights – The Mentor Perspective workshop on February 17, 2012. The roundtable workshop brought together representatives from countries all over the world, including Australia, Canada, China, India, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, and the UK. Discussions centered around the drivers for undertaking mentoring; the areas in which support is most commonly sought; and the key success factors and challenges based on the experiences of those attending the event. The range of information gathered will be used to inform the PAO Development Committee Mentoring Program, and in particular the mentoring toolkit. Materials from the event are available here.

Austria

PAO Development Committee member Ardiana Bunjaku spoke at the World Bank Centre for Financial Reporting Reform’s Education Community of Practice Workshop “Building Effective Audit Regulation and Education” on February 7-8, 2012, in Vienna, Austria. The workshop’s objective is to contribute to the further development of effective audit regulation and education through REPARIS (The Road to Europe: Program of Accounting Reform and International Strengthening). Ms. Bunjaku, executive director of the Society of Certified Accountants and Auditors of Kosovo, will provide her insights on developing educational resources to support effective audit education.

South Korea

On November 30 in Busan, Korea, IFAC and the international donor and development community signed MOSAIC: Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Accountancy and Improve Collaboration. MOSAIC sets out the basis for improving cooperation and provides foundations for increasing the capacity of professional accountancy organizations and improving the quality of financial management systems in emerging and developing economies. This new agreement will significantly contribute to the recently established New Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.The signing ceremony took place at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, hosted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and convened to review global progress in improving the impact and value of development aid and to commit to further ensure that aid reduces poverty and support progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

United Kingdom

On November 28th and 29th 2011 IFAC staff participated in “The Meeting for CIS and Baltic States Professional Bodies/Standard Setters,” the key aim of which is promoting adoption and implementation of high-quality international standards, as promulgated by the IAASB and the IASB. More than 70 delegates from 11 countries, including Professional Accountancy Organization (PAO) representatives and regulators involved in national standard setting will have a unique opportunity to meet with the chairs and staff members from the IAASB and the IASB, as well as to address any issues related to IFAC membership and translation of the international pronouncements.   

France

On October 4, PAO Development Committee Chair Deborah Williams attended the launch of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Development Co-operation Report 2011. The launch also marked the 50th anniversary of the Development Assistance Committee, which groups the world’s main donors, defining and monitoring global standards in key areas of development. The full report is available on the OECD’s website.

Lebanon

Due to recent changes in leadership in the Lebanese Association of Certified Public Accountants (LACPA), IFAC Staff were invited to visit Beirut, Lebanon to educate the Board of Directors and the general LACPA membership regarding the Statements of Membership Obligations (SMOs) and the IFAC Compliance Program Action Plan process. While in Lebanon, IFAC Staff held a number of meetings with LACPA leadership, general membership, and key counterparts of LACPA. More information on the event is available here. 

United Arab Emirates

On September 20, 2011 the PAO Development Committee, in coordination with the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) and with the generous support of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), sponsored the Middle East and North Africa PAO Development Roundtable Workshop, which brought together PAO representatives from the region to discuss the importance of the IFAC Action Planning process and engage in active dialogue and debate on current issues facing the profession, as well as providing the opportunity to seek guidance from IFAC staff and representatives on PAO development issues.

Azerbaijan

IFAC Staff recently attended the III Eurasian Form of the Accountants and Auditors, The importance and the role of the application of international financial reporting standards and international audit standards in the increasing the transparency of the economy, held 15-17 September, 2011. IFAC worked with member bodies on participation in the IFAC Compliance Program and on PAO development issues.