The International Federation of Accountants^® (IFAC^®), the global organization for the accountancy profession, today revised upward by 16% the membership of its member bodies following analysis of membership data from 2009 to 2013. Conducted by the independent Centre for Economics and Business Research, the analysis shows that membership of IFAC’s more than 175 members and associates in 130 countries and jurisdictions now totals 2.84 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

This growth is a combination of new accountants joining existing IFAC member organizations and new professional accountancy organizations (PAOs) joining IFAC. Over the four-year period:

• 69% of total growth was from IFAC member organizations expanding their ranks through organic growth; and
• 31% was through additional PAOs joining IFAC.

Fayez Choudhury, IFAC CEO, said, “IFAC is honored to represent 2.84 million accountants globally. They are men and women operating throughout society to strengthen organizations and economies, bound by a code of ethics that obliges them to act in the public interest. I am especially pleased that IFAC’s representation is being driven by organic membership growth within our member bodies, as well as PAOs successfully completing the rigorous journey to IFAC membership.” 

In terms of organic growth, IFAC member organizations in advanced economies gained the most new members from 2009 to 2013. Regionally, membership of European IFAC member organizations grew the most—from 834,000 to 981,000 over the four-year period.

Since 2009, IFAC has added 21 new members and associates in almost every region of the globe. IFAC saw particularly strong growth in 2012 as a number of large PAOs became member organizations.

The study was conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), an independent economics and business research consultancy, using data supplied by IFAC member organizations. The complete report—which includes findings on the state of the global accountancy profession and the profession’s impact on the global economy—will be issued later this year.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession, dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. It is comprised of more than 175 members and associates in 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing over 2.8 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

In a speech following the G-7 Finance Ministers meeting in Dresden, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urged institutions—such as the International Monetary Fund, European Commission, and European Central Bank—to act, saying “there need to be some policy decisions implemented in Greece.”

The International Federation of Accountants^® (IFAC^®) agrees, but also recommends that strong—albeit sometimes difficult—policy decisions about public sector finances need to be made by international organizations and governments across the globe, and it calls on the G-7 to address these issues at its upcoming meeting. IFAC also welcomes the announcement by Greece’s Deputy Finance Minister, Dimitris Mardas, that the Greek finance ministry is moving to adopt International Public Sector Accounting Standards™ (IPSASs™). This is a small but very important step forward on the journey to full transparency and accountability.

Over recent years many countries have faced fiscal, debt, and other financial management issues, while public servants and politicians have engaged in a highly politicized war of words. However, little has been achieved to fix the fundamental problem: poor public sector financial management, transparency, and accountability.

“Improving public sector financial management and providing for better decision making requires politicians to look beyond their next term in office, and to act in the public’s—and the next generation’s—interests,” said IFAC Chief Executive Officer Fayezul Choudhury. “It is critical that policy leaders in governments and international organizations recognize the importance of enhancing public sector finances, reporting, transparency, and accountability. Without demanding the improvements that are necessary, these bodies are destined to be confronting—and debating—the same issues again in the near future.”

IFAC promotes the adoption of high-quality accrual-based financial reporting by governments around the world; IPSASs are the only internationally-accepted standards for such reporting. This reporting provides the foundation for enhanced public sector financial management along with implementation of institutional reforms to support transparency and accountability, including:

• high-quality, timely, independently audited accrual-based financial reporting for the public sector;
• publishing fully transparent reports on a government’s position, performance, budgets, and appropriations to allow for proper scrutiny—particularly ahead of elections; and
• well-defined, publicly available principles for fiscal management and control, with full transparency to demonstrate that principles are being followed.

The International Federation of Accountants^® (IFAC^®) today published in the Spanish language the following guidance for professional accountancy organizations (PAOs):

• Mentoring Guidelines for Professional Accountancy Organizations
• Mentoring: The Path to Sustainable Development; and
• Establishing Governance: A Guide for Professional Accountancy Organizations.

These Spanish translations were performed by the Federación Argentina de Consejos Profesionales de Ciencias Económicas and are a result of the Ibero-American cooperation framework, known as the IberAm project. Established in 2012, the IberAm project—which includes IFAC and its member bodies in Argentina, Mexico, and Spain—is an IFAC-authorized translation and review process that strives to achieve longer-term, sustainable processes for single, high-quality Spanish translations of international standards and other IFAC publications. The Interamerican Accounting Association, IFAC’s regional organization for Latin America and the Caribbean, is an observer to the project. In addition, the project involves a Review Committee of technical experts representing IFAC member bodies in nine Spanish-speaking countries.

"Experience has shown that collaborative relationships between PAOs can be one of the most effective and sustainable approaches to building the capacity of the accountancy profession, particularly in emerging economies," said Alta Prinsloo, IFAC Executive Director, Strategy, and Chief Operating Officer. "In addition, establishing and maintaining a sound system of governance enables a PAO to maintain credibility and deliver on its value proposition to its members and to the public. We hope that these Spanish translations will encourage and support a wider range of PAOs to further contribute to the development of the profession in their own jurisdictions and beyond."

Recognizing the ever-increasing number of knowledge-sharing partnerships between PAOs, and their potential value as capacity-building facilitators, Mentoring: The Path to Sustainable Development highlights mentoring’s benefits—to the mentor, the mentee, and to the profession.

The Mentoring Guidelines offer practical guidance on how PAOs can enter into, and sustain an effective mentoring relationship that will achieve mutually agreed outcomes. It covers considerations before setting up a relationship, how to involve other stakeholders, such as government and aid agencies, and managing possible risks. The guidelines also include a sample Memorandum of Understanding.

Establishing Governance explores the key elements of a PAO’s governance structure and operations, with a focus on how a PAO can best adhere to good practice principles in delivering on its mission and/or vision. It includes case study examples from Kosovo, Mongolia, and Rwanda as illustrations of varying approaches around the world.

Additional Spanish translations of IFAC publications will be forthcoming.

For an overview of translations of IFAC’s publications, please visit the IFAC Translations Database.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of over 175 members and associates in 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

Since the crisis, financial regulations the world over are being revised to ensure banks are more transparent and better able to deal with financial shocks. However there has been no corresponding drive to better manage government balance sheets for the long term, not least because very few governments would be able report on anything other than a cash basis. This demonstrates how urgently the quality of financial management in governments around the world needs sustained and well-designed reform, including those governments who have moved to adopt the accrual basis of reporting.

To address these issues, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is hosting its first ever International Seminar to highlight the importance of sound public financial management and reporting in a robust, transparent government accounting practice, in the public interest, and consider how the accountancy profession can play a role in addressing the quality of public sector financial management.

The seminar on July 7 in London will include global experts, highlighting relevant examples and initiatives that promote effective and efficient management of public finances, including:

• Fayezul Choudhury, IFAC CEO
• Paul Kazarian, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Japonica Partners
• Alta Prinsloo, Executive Director, Strategy, and Chief Operating Officer, IFAC
• Olivier Boutellis-Taft, Chief Executive, Federation of European Accountants
• Ian Ball, Chair, CIPFA International
• Mark Lowcock, Permanent Secretary, UK Department for International Development
• Fred Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana
• Chidi Ajaegbu, Past-President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

Additional information, including registration details, is available on the CIPFA website.

See IFAC CEO Fayez Choudhury discuss the Accountability. Now. campaign which represents a coalition of organizations that believe in the importance of enhancing the accountability and transparency of government financial management around the world.

IFAC President Olivia Kirtely was interviewed by the Huffington Post on women, leadership, and the accountancy profession.

Read the full article on the Huffington Post website.

IFAC welcomes the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)’s emphasis on the importance and relevance of the auditor-supervisor relationship, but urges care in developing and implementing new requirements for written auditor reporting to supervisors.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana, and IFAC^® hosted two days of roundtables in Accra, Ghana, May 21-22, focused on adoption and implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards^™ (IPSAS^™).

Day One provided senior government officials in Ghana with the opportunity to discuss the status of adoption and implementation in Ghana, share experiences, identify challenges to be addressed, and agree on next steps for full adoption and implementation in 2016. Both the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of Ghana attended day one of the roundtables.

Day Two targeted those government officials with budget and/or accounts responsibility in Ghana—those who are responsible for implementation of IPSAS—to provide an opportunity to review the implementation plan and discuss practical, technical challenges, actions, and next steps.

Both days of roundtables featured global and regional leaders and experts in IPSAS adoption and implementation working with Ghanaian leaders and technical staff to build a smooth transition to IPSAS. IPSAS will provide Ghana with transparent financial information that captures the entire picture of funding commitments, encourages wise spending, and helps strengthen the economy. Both the accountancy profession and ICAG are committed to supporting Ghana during the transition.

Day One agenda: Adoption and Implementation of IPSAS in Ghana—Taking Stock and Next Steps

• Ian Carruthers, CIPFA - Public Financial Management (PFM)—A Whole System Approach
• Grace Francisca Adzroe, Controller & Accountant General, Ghana - An Overview of Progress to Date
• Erna Swart, Accounting Standards Board, South Africa - The South African Experience
• Sophie Moturi, Public Sector Standards Board, Kenya - IPSAS Adoption and Implementation in Kenya
• Williard Yohana Kalulu, Accountant General Office, Tanzania - Transition to the Accrual Basis of Accounting: Guidance for Public Sector Entities, Tanzania Case
• Shelmadene Petzer, Auditor General's Office, South Africa - Implementation Process and Obstacles
• Pius Maneno, National Board of Accountants and Auditors, Tanzania - Adoption and Implementation of IPSAS in Ghana
• Open Discussion questions

The IFAC Annual Review 2014, Leveraging Our Global Advantage, explains our approach to IFAC’s strategic and operational priorities—with the aim of leveraging our global advantage in a targeted manner, and allocating our substantial staff talent and experience to the greatest extent possible. Our equation for IFAC’s success is laid out in our business model, which consists of five operating lines:

• supporting standard setting for a globalized world;
• enhancing quality to strengthen our profession;
• building capacity for the profession;
• positioning accountants for success; and
• influencing policy and public debate.

Within this framework, this Annual Review 2014 discusses our operating environment, explains our strategic response and future direction, and demonstrates our performance and achievements. Along with our Financial Statements, the Annual Review comprises our suite of reporting for the year ended December 31, 2014.

During CReCER 2015, IFAC Senior Technical Manager and Head of Professional Accountants Stathis Gould gave a presentation on integrated reporting, discussing both the work of the International Integrated Reporting Council and IFAC's efforts to support integrated reporting.

IFAC has welcomed the European Commission’s emphasis on jobs and growth, removing regulatory barriers and work toward a single rule book across the European Union.  These issues are certainly not confined to the EU region and IFAC will continue to pursue the importance of effective regulatory collaboration, consistency and proportionality around the globe. IFAC supports the need for common and appropriate standards for use in SME Growth Markets, but cautions against the development of yet another new set of standards.