Accounting Standards

IPSAS 101 Introduction to IPSAS

A mixture of information on IPSAS, drawn from a variety of sources, includes power point presentations, IPSAS briefing notes, comments from experts, media, governments and academics on accrual accounting, and examples of the impact that good accounting can have on organizations' effectiveness and financial well-being. The aim of this information is to describe IPSAS and explain why independent, good quality, accrual accounting standards are important to achieve improvements in governance, accountability, transparency and financial management.

IPSAS Around the World

Web links to material about countries' IPSAS adoption and to organizations involved in supporting countries' IPSAS adoption.

UN System IPSAS Adoption Reports (Including Progress Reports) and Decisions

Key United Nations System reports and decisions relevant to adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards, including IPSAS Adoption Progress Reports to HLCM, the FBNetwork and the Task Force on Accounting Standards.

IPSAS Adoption General Guidance

General guidance relevant to IPSAS adoption, including guidance on adoption of full accruals and relevant IFRS, journal articles, governments' experiences in adopting full accruals, etc.

IPSAS Compliant and IPSAS-Similar Financial Statements

Examples of IPSAS compliant financial statements and financial statements that have been prepared on a very similar basis to IPSAS. These financial statements are provided as guidance to illustrate the type of statements and disclosures that should be prepared under IPSAS. These examples must be treated with care - even the financial statements that claim IPSAS compliance and get a clean audit opinion cannot be assumed to be 100% IPSAS compliant. Any treatment of an accounting issue needs to be reviewed against relevant IPSAS requirements to check that it is not in conflict with those requirements.

International Organizations

Conferences, seminars, planning documents etc of international organizations that have adopted IPSAS or moved to full accrual accounting. This folder includes papers from OECD and European Commission seminars, European Commission planning documents and reports on full accruals, and the European Commission’s accounting rules.

International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board

Includes website link to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board, IPSASB updates, newly released final IPSAS standards, United Nations System relevant draft standards, and issues papers on draft standards (exposure drafts).

International Financial Reporting Standards

This folder includes information about International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). IFRS are relevant to IPSAS adoption, because the relevant IFRS standard should be applied whenever there is no IPSAS standard for a particular accounting topic. For example, there is no IPSAS that deals with intangibles and IAS 38 Intangible Assets, the relevant IFRS, will need to be applied when accounting for intangibles.

UNSAS

 

Focus Groups

This folder includes material for the four Accounting Policy and Guidance Focus Groups in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Rome.

Effective IPSAS Communication

This folder includes information on communication plans, examples of what organizations have done with respect to communication, and material that explains why effective communication is important.