On or about 5 October 2020, the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) has published revisions made to the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) (the Code) to promote the role and mindset expected of all professional accountants.
The “Final Pronouncement: Revisions made to the Code” explicitly recognize that the accountancy profession is entrusted with public confidence in the wide-ranging roles it plays in society and that such confidence is based on the skills and values it brings to its professional activities. It reaffirms the profession’s responsibility to act in the public interest and the fundamental role of the Code in meeting that responsibility.
The revisions incorporated the following changes:
- reinforce principles of integrity, objectivity and professional behaviour
- raise behavioural expectations of all professional accountants through requiring them to have an inquiring mind as they undertake their professional activities
- emphasise the importance of accountants being aware of the potential influence of bias in their judgments and decisions, and
- highlight the supportive role the right organisational culture can play in promoting ethical conduct and business.
Source: IESBA, 7 October 2020