In September 2020, the International Accounting Standards Board requested stakeholders to respond to the IFRS Foundation’s questions on sustainability reporting found in their Consultation Paper on Sustainability Reporting. The consultation paper hoped to address concerns surrounding consistency and comparability in sustainability reporting.  According to the IFRS, “A set of comparable and consistent standards will allow businesses to build public trust through greater transparency of their sustainability initiatives, which will be helpful to investors and an even broader audience in a context in which society is demanding initiatives to combat climate change.”

World Council supported the IFRS’ goal to implement internationally recognized sustainability reporting standards as well as the development of a sustainability standards board (SSB) but requested that the IFRS consider small financial cooperatives when creating sustainability reporting standards. World Council asked that these standards avoid overburdensome reporting requirements; and include goals for financial inclusion as a requirement essential for the success of the SSB’s implementation.

World Council’s response to the IFRS’ Consultation Paper on Sustainability Reporting can be found here.