The Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting,
Taking into consideration the recent review of the work of subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council and the recommendation that subsidiary bodies dedicate special attention to targets on gender equality contained in Sustainable Development Goal 5 and other Sustainable Development Goals that fall within their purview,
Welcoming the further progress made by member States in implementing the UNCTAD Accounting Development Tool,
Recognizing the usefulness of the Accounting Development Tool in effectively assessing national regulatory, institutional and human capacity foundations for high-quality reporting, the development of action plans and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the financial and sustainability reporting environment,
Acknowledging the benefits of applying the Accounting Development Tool in a modular manner, to focus on particular national objectives, including to assess the needs of microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises and to facilitate the formalization of businesses in the informal sector,
Promoting gender balance in the accountancy profession
- Expresses its appreciation of the initial scoping work conducted by the UNCTAD secretariat, exploring the feasibility of an assessment of gender balance in the accountancy profession;
- Calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to continue to conduct further research on this issue, with a view to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the status of gender equality and relevant policy practices, and to present findings at a future session of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting;
Insights from recent implementation of the Accounting Development Tool
- Requests the UNCTAD secretariat to continue to update the Accounting Development Tool, including by incorporating lessons learnt and by widening the scope of the public sector component, to make it more comprehensive;
- Encourages the UNCTAD secretariat to facilitate further applications of the Accounting Development Tool based on requests by member States; and invites donors in a position to do so to support the secretariat in this endeavour.
