Earlier today, the Staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) released a Questions & Answers (Q&A) publication, Ethics Considerations in Sustainability Reporting, Including Guidance to Address Concerns about Greenwashing. The publication highlights the relevance and applicability of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) to ethics-related challenges in the context of sustainability reporting and assurance, especially circumstances involving misleading or false sustainability information (i.e., “greenwashing”). 

Among other matters, the publication spotlights key provisions in the Code that apply in preparing and presenting sustainability information. It emphasizes the professional accountant’s obligation to be straightforward and honest and refrain from being associated with information that is misleading or false, including in situations where they might experience pressure to do so.

The publication is intended to assist professional accountants, especially those in business, but might also be of interest to other professionals involved in preparing sustainability reports or disclosures. It will also be useful to regulators and audit oversight bodies, policy makers, investors, those charged with governance, national standard setters, professional accountancy organizations, and others with an interest in the work of professional accountants and in sustainability reporting and assurance.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA serves the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards).

The IESBA believes a single set of high-quality ethics standards enhances the quality and consistency of services provided by professional accountants, thus contributing to public trust and confidence in the accountancy profession. The IESBA sets its standards in the public interest with advice from the IESBA Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) and under the oversight of the Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB).

Do you want to learn more about the $1 trillion USD sustainable debt market and other sustainability developments that will impact CPAs in practice and their clients? Join CPA Canada and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) for an:

ICAEW Event

Regulation of tax advisers is a hot topic. This is driven by a number of factors including: the need to close the tax gap; improve consumer protection, and drive out poor behaviours by certain tax advisers.

Earlier today, the Staff of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) released the Staff Alert, The Ukraine Conflict: Key Ethics and Independence Considerations. The publication draws the attention of professional accountants in business (PAIBs) and professional accountants in public practice (PAPPs), including firms, to a number of important provisions in the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) with which they must comply in carrying out their work as they navigate the unprecedented challenges and risks arising from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Among other matters, the Staff Alert highlights the ethical implications arising from the wide-ranging economic sanctions many jurisdictions have imposed on Russia and certain Russian entities and individuals as well as Belarus, and the related ethical responsibilities of PAIBs and PAPPs under the Code. It also highlights:

• Key ethics considerations for PAIBs in relation to the preparation and presentation of information, especially as regards accounting for and disclosing the impact of the Ukraine conflict on their employing organizations’ business; and
• Key ethics considerations for PAPPs in relation to client and engagement acceptance, and in the context of audits of financial statements, key independence considerations relating to overdue fees and the Code’s prohibition against assuming management responsibility.

Regardless of the environment in which professional accountants operate, the provisions of the Code serve to enhance the quality and consistency of services accountants provide, thus contributing to public trust and confidence in their work.

This publication may also be of interest to national standard setters, the investor and corporate governance communities, regulators and audit oversight bodies, preparers other than PAIBs, professional accountancy organizations, and others with an interest or role in the work of PAIBs and auditors and other PAPPs.

About IESBA

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is an independent global standard-setting board. The IESBA’s mission is to serve the public interest by setting ethics standards, including auditor independence requirements, which seek to raise the bar for ethical conduct and practice for all professional accountants through a robust, globally operable International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code).