Accounting Bodies Network

The Accounting Bodies Network (ABN) is a collaboration between A4S and professional bodies worldwide. Together, we estimate that the Network represents over half of the world’s accountants.

Accounting bodies are vital in equipping their members with the knowledge and skills they need to implement sustainable finance practices.

The Network provides an open, cross-border platform. Members share knowledge, collaborate to overcome common barriers and champion the need for change within the accounting community.

"The ABN is a great collaborative force that has used its combined expert knowledge to support members and students to account for sustainability, providing the competencies and frameworks required to build a sustainable economy within which individuals and organizations can thrive”.

Jessica Fries, Executive Chairman, A4S

The ABN Principles 2.0

All ABN members have endorsed five core principles, which they are dedicated to upholding as part of their membership.

Twelve global bodies.

Five shared principles.

One sustainable future.

The Principles:

1. Education and capacity building:
   To invest in education and training for accountants to equip them with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to support sustainable business practices. To integrate* sustainability into the curriculum, continuing professional development (CPD) and other accountancy programmes.
   
   
2. Advocacy and influence:
   Drive meaningful change through our advocacy, engaging and sharing expertise with businesses, governments and other stakeholders. We collaborate and contribute to position and policy statements to help enable a transition to a global sustainable economy.
   
   
3. Innovation and adaptability:
   Encourage continuous innovation and adaptability in accounting practices to address sustainability challenges and opportunities. Through leveraging new technologies and best practices, we help ensure sustainability is integrated into all emerging accounting methodologies.
   
   
4. Transforming value:
   Endorse a broader definition of value that prioritizes long-term impact. We help guide the profession toward adopting a holistic view of value, encompassing not only financial factors, but also human, social and environmental dimensions.
   
   
5. Leading by example:
   Embed sustainability within the strategy and operations of ABN member organizations. We are transparent and accountable for our sustainability impacts.

* For those ABN members that do not have a direct role in determining the content of the curriculum or training, they support and encourage the efforts of those that do to incorporate sustainability.

What are the Principles?

The ABN Principles serve as a foundational framework for the ongoing transformation of the profession, supporting ABN members in adapting to the changing sustainability landscape. They act as a signpost for current and future sustainability efforts, helping members build long-term value and drive systemic change within their membership. The impact ABN members ultimately seek to achieve is for the profession to uphold the public interest by playing a meaningful role in ensuring a sustainable global economy.

To address the complex challenges of sustainability effectively, the ABN Principles facilitate the following:

• Address the urgency of the interconnected crises we face, including the climate emergency, dramatic nature loss and growing social inequality.
• Strengthen opportunities for collaboration with professions beyond accounting, promoting interdisciplinary and multistakeholder teams working together to find innovative solutions.
• Build capacity across the profession, enabling members and students to influence and contribute meaningfully to sustainability efforts.
• Apply to all environmental and societal challenges related to sustainable development, ensuring comprehensive and inclusive action.
• Support the ‘Outcomes’ outlined in the Insights and Impact summary, which show how accounting bodies are critical enablers of a sustainable economy.