Singapore, 6 May 2022 – CLA Global TS (formerly Nexia TS)’ Group CEO and Chief Innovation Officer, Mr Henry Tan, represented The ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA) in delivering the welcome speech at the recent Regional Sustainability Assurance Webinar themed ‘The State Of Play In Sustainability Assurance’ held on 26 April 2022.
Organised by AFA together with the Indonesian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (IAPI) and the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA), it is the first of a series of webinars and discussions under AFA’s sustainability agenda for 2022.
Mr Henry Tan said: “The topic on sustainability has been of top priority in the past few years due to the massive impact it has on various aspect of life, including the accountancy profession. Sustainability is no longer a ‘good to have’ but a ‘must-have’. Any organisation that does not put this on the agenda will face its own demise.”
As the Treasurer of AFA, Mr Henry Tan emphasised AFA’s commitment to working closely with its member organisations, partners, and stakeholders, to build awareness and capacity of the ASEAN accountancy profession and contribute to the global sustainability efforts.
One key development in area of sustainability is the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in November 2021 to deliver a comprehensive global baseline of sustainability-related disclosure standards. These standards will require changes in the role accountancy professions play in serving public interest.
While significant attention is directed towards sustainability reporting, international investors with global investment portfolios, regulators and policy makers are increasingly turning their attention to the important role of assurance, calling for high quality, transparent, reliable, and comparable reporting by companies.
The webinar was aimed to provide ASEAN stakeholders with the latest developments in sustainability assurance. It also studied examples of initiatives introduced by Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) in two jurisdictions: Indonesia and Japan. One of the intended objectives of the webinar is to encourage PAOs and accountants to engage with their regulators and collaborate on building the profession’s capacity on sustainability.
The webinar was attended by more than 300 participants via Zoom and live broadcast in YouTube. A recording of the webinar can be found in AFA’s YouTube page.
For latest updates on subsequent webinars on the topic of sustainability reporting, follow AFA’s LinkedIn page.
About ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA):
The ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA) was established in March, 1977, to serve as the umbrella organisation for the national association of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN). AFA originally had only five founding member-bodies. These were the national accountancy bodies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Currently, AFA membership comprised of all ten ASEAN member countries.
For more information, please visit http://www.afa-accountants.org.
About CLA Global
CLA Global Limited (CLA Global) is a worldwide organisation of independent accounting and advisory firms. CLA Global member firm professionals provide audit, accounting, tax, and advisory services to help guide organisations and individuals through the increasingly complex global business and financial environment. For more information, visit CLAglobal.com.
About CLA Global TS (formerly Nexia TS)
Founded in 1993, CLA Global TS (formerly known as Nexia T.S.), is an award-winning Asia-Centred Business Advisor. An independent member firm of CLA Global Network, CLA Global TS provides a full spectrum of professional services including, but not limited to Assurance & IPO Reporting, Tax, Risk Advisory, Valuation, Insolvency & Restructuring, Sustainability & Climate Change Advisory and more. For more information, visit CLA-TS.com.
