Who We Are
With our member organizations, we serve the public interest by enhancing the relevance, reputation, and value of the global accountancy profession.
- How IFAC Creates Value
This value-creation schematic highlights all the key elements of how IFAC creates and protects value and is based on the IFAC Strategic Plan 2019-2020. This diagram is comprehensive, covering all parts of IFAC’s ecosystem, and helps IFAC communicate internally and externally and explain our ecosystem.
- Strategic Plan
There is an urgent need and a real opportunity for the accountancy profession to speak into the public conversation about rebuilding trust, with an authority built on decades of acting in the public interest and advocating for transparency and accountability. As an organization committed to time-tested values of integrity, expertise and transparency, IFAC plays a critical leadership role in building trust and inspiring confidence in the profession’s future.
Working with and leveraging the efforts of its member organizations and others within its global network, IFAC will proactively address emerging challenges and opportunities for professional accountants as the global accountancy profession addresses rapid disruptive change.
- Annual Review
For IFAC and the accountancy profession, 2019 was full of accomplishments. We sharpened our voice, focused on the issues, and supported our member organizations in new and innovative ways. We developed clear, concise, and bold Points of View on pressing issues for the profession, continued the conversation on how to help professional accountants and member organizations prepare for the future, and fulfilled our commitment to support global standard setting in the public interest.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not interrupted our progress, but added greater urgency to many of the issues we’ve been tackling and presented both new challenges and opportunities. Time will not stop for the world to recover. The full impact of the pandemic might not be known for years, but measuring, analyzing, and reporting to support good decision making will be the difference between a strong recovery and a weak recovery. Now more than ever, the role of the accountancy profession is clear and indispensable, and so is our commitment to the public interest.
We look forward to continued partnerships with our member organizations, the Forum of Firms, and other key stakeholders, as we launch the accountancy profession into a new decade.
This review is part of our 2019 reporting suite, which also comprises our Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.
View 2019 Annual Review View 2018 Annual Review View 2017 Annual Review View 2016 Annual Review View 2015 Annual Review View 2014 Annual Review View 2013 Annual Review View 2012 Annual Report View 2011 Annual Report View 2010 Annual Report View 2009 Annual Report View 2008 Annual Report - Financial Statements
IFAC's Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSAS®) and include an independent auditor’s report.
View 2019 Financial Statements View 2018 Financial Statements View 2017 Financial Statements View 2016 Financial Statements View 2015 Financial Statements View 2014 Financial Statements View 2013 Financial Statements - Constitution & Bylaws
IFAC's Constitution and Bylaws detail the responsibilities and authority of IFAC's Council, Board, and Board subcommittees. They also address IFAC’s mission, membership requirements, and the election/appointment of IFAC Officers. These documents were revised in 2013 to ensure that IFAC continues to embrace best practices and enable timely action by improving governance structure, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of IFAC in standard setting in the public interest, and ensuring IFAC continues to have broad representation from all parts of the profession. These versions of the IFAC Constitution and Bylaws were approved by the IFAC Council in February 2014, and subsequent amendments were approved by Council in 2017 and 2019.
Download the IFAC Constitution
- Founding History
Beginning with 63 founding members from 51 countries in 1977, IFAC's membership has grown to now include over 175 members and associates in more than 135 countries and jurisdictions worldwide.*
IFAC was founded on October 7, 1977, in Munich, Germany, at the 11th World Congress of Accountants to strengthen the global accountancy profession in the public interest by:
- Developing high-quality international standards in auditing and assurance, public sector accounting, ethics, and education for professional accountants and supporting their adoption and use;
- Facilitating collaboration and cooperation among its member bodies;
- Collaborating and cooperating with other international organizations; and
- Serving as the international spokesperson for the accountancy profession.
At the first meeting of the IFAC Assembly and Council in October 1977, a 12-point work program was developed to guide IFAC committees and staff through the first five years of activities. Many elements of this work program are still relevant today.
- Develop statements which serve as guidelines for international and auditing guidelines
- Establish the basic principles which should be included in the code of ethics of any member body of IFAC and to refine or elaborate on such principles as deemed appropriate
- Determine the requirements and develop programs or the professional education and training of accountant
- Collect, analyze, research, and disseminated information on the management of public accounting practices to assist practitioners in more effectively conducting their practices
- Evaluate, develop, and report on financial management and other management techniques and procedures
- Undertake other studies of value to accountants, such as a possible study on the legal liabilities of auditors
- Foster closer relationships with users of financial statements including preparers, trade unions, financial institutions, industry, governments, and others
- Maintain good relations with regional organizations and explore the potential for establishing other regional organizations, as well as assisting in their organizations and development
- Establish regular communications among the members of IFAC and other interested organizations, principally through an IFAC Newsletter
- Organize and promote the exchange of technical information, educational materials and professional publications, and other literature emanating from member bodies
- Organize and conduct an international congress of accountants approximately every five years
- Seek to expand the membership of IFAC
*As of November 2018
- Founding Members
The following 63 professional accountancy bodies were founding members of IFAC in October 1977.
Country
Member Body
Argentina Federacíon Argentina de Colegios de Graduados en Ciencias Económic Australia The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia Australian Society of Accountants (now CPA Australia) Bangladesh The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh Belgium College National de Experts Comptables de Belgique (now the Institut des Experts-comptables et des Conseils fiscaux) Institut des Reviseurs d'Enterprises Brazil Instituto dos Auditores Independentes do Brasil Canada Certified General Accountants Association of Canada The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants§ The Society of Management Accountants of Canada (now CMA Canada§) Chinese Taiwan The Federation of CPA Associations of Chinese Taiwan Colombia Instituto Nacional de Contadores Públicos de Colombia Cyprus The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus Denmark Foreningen af Statsautoriserede Revisorer (now FSR-danske revisorer) Fiji Fiji Institute of Accountants Finland KHT-yhdistys - Föreningen CGR France Ordre des Experts Comptables et des Comptables Agrees (now the Conseil Supérieur de l'Ordre des Experts-Comptables)
Germany
Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer in Deutschland e.V. Ghana The Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) Greece Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Greece Hong Kong* Hong Kong Society of Accountants (now the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Iceland Félag loggiltra Endurskoðend India The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (now The Institute of Cost Accountants of India) Indonesia Indonesian Institute of Accountants Ireland The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (now Chartered Accountants Ireland) Israel The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Israel Italy Consiglio Nazionale dei Dottori Commercialisti (now Consiglio nazionale dei Dottori commercialisti e degli Esperti contabili) Jamaica The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica Japan The Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants Lebanon The Middle East Society of Associated Accountants (former member of IFAC) Luxembourg Ordre des Experts Comptables Luxembourgeois Malaysia Malaysian Institute of Accountants The Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (now the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Malta The Malta Institute of Accountants Mexico Instituto Mexicano de Contadores Publicos, A.C. Netherlands Nederlands Instituut van Registeraccountants (now the Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie van Accountants) New Zealand New Zealand Society of Accountants (now the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants)
Nigeria
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria Norway Norges Statsautoriserte Revisorers Forening (now Den norske Revisorforening)
Pakistan Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan Institute of Cost and Managements Accountants of Pakistan Panama Colegio de Contadores Públicos Autorizados de Panama Paraguay Colegio de Contadores de Paraguay Philippines Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants Rhodesia† The Rhodesia Society of Chartered Accountantsǂ Singapore Singapore Society of Accountants (now the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore)
South Africa The National Council of Chartered Accountants (now the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants)
Spain Instituto de Censores Juradoes de Cuentas de España Sweden Foreningen Auktoriserade Revisorer (now FAR) Switzerland Schweizerische Treuhand-und Revisionskammer (now Treuhand-Kammer)
Trinidad and Tobago The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Expert Accountants' Association of Turkey United Kingdom The Association of Certified Accountants (now the Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants)The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants (now the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants—CIMA)
United States American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (now the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants—CIMA) Uruguay Colegio de Doctores en Ciencias Económicas y Contadores del Uruguay (now the Colegio de Contadores, Economistas y Administradores del Uruguay)
Venezuela Associacíon de Contadores de Venezuela (former member of IFAC) Federacíon de Colegio de Contadores Públicos de Venezuela (former member of IFAC) * Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of People's Republic of China
† Now Zimbabwe
ǂ Now recognized as The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
§ Now recognized as Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) following a merger in 2013 between the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and CMA Canada.
