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At its April meeting, the IAASB confirmed its intention to advance the consultation on its proposed new standard for sustainability assurance, International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements. Subject to the expected IAASB approval of the exposure draft in June, stakeholders can now expect the public consultation on the proposed standard to open in the latter part of July or early August 2023 and extend into December 2023. The AASB will be coordinating our exposure period to overlap with the IAASB’s exposure draft period.

In response to the IAASB’s approval of the project proposal for the development of an overarching sustainability assurance standard, ISSA 5000, the AASB has established the Sustainability Assurance Committee to enhance its technical expertise in this area and support the Board’s sustainability assurance projects. Learn more about the Committee. 

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has just released its Exposure Draft, Methodology for Enhancing the International Applicability of the SASB Standards and SASB Standards Taxonomy Updates. Read the Exposure Draft for more details.

We are committed to serving the public interest by effectively responding to the needs of interested and affected parties. Read about the AASB’s 2022-2023 activities and accomplishments in this year’s Annual Report.

The Board submitted a comment letter responding to the IAASB’s Exposure Draft, Proposed Narrow Scope Amendments to ISA 700 (Revised), Forming an Opinion and Reporting on Financial Statements and ISA 260 (Revised), Communication with Those Charged with Governance. Read our response letter to learn more.      

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has released its request for information on their Consultation on Agenda Priorities. They aim to broaden sustainability standards for investors and financial markets beyond climate. Read the Agenda Priorities for more details.

The AcSB discussed Insurance Contracts with a Cash Surrender Value, Pension Plans, the AcSB’s Performance Report and Annual Report, and more. Read the Decision Summary for full details, including how stakeholders can provide feedback on these initiatives.

The AcSB issued an Exposure Draft proposing annual improvements to accounting standards for pension plans. These improvements relate to disclosures for guaranteed annuity contracts, commonly referred to as “buy-in” annuity contracts. We encourage you to submit your comments by June 2, 2023.

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) issued its Exposure Draft on the proposed revisions to International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 570 (Revised 202X), Going Concern. The Exposure Draft aims to enhance an auditor’s work and reporting relating to an entity’s going concern. Submit your comments on the IAASB’s Exposure Draft by August 24, 2023, and provide a copy of your response to the AASB at [email protected].

The AcSB issued its Exposure Draft which corresponds to the IASB’s Exposure Draft on this topic. If you would like your feedback considered prior to our Board finalizing our comment letter, please respond to us by July 7, 2023.