Protecting the Public

Acting in the public interest

The IFA is committed to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards, and promoting the conduct, objectivity, competence and integrity expected of professional accountants. Central to this commitment is our uncompromising pursuit of the public interest. We want members of the public to have confidence in the work, recommendations and conduct of our members.

Only by acting in the public interest can we most effectively support our own members with the tools and mechanisms to act in the best interests of their clients, employers and other stakeholders. In turn, this helps them uphold the standards and values upon which their individual reputations rest, and safeguards the collective reputation of our global membership and student body.

Our commitment to act in the public interest manifests itself in a number of ways:

• We do more than simply demand that our members act in the public interest – it’s an integral part of our monitoring and regulatory activity, whether members work in practice or business; members of the public have recourse for action should they have grounds for about the work or conduct of one of our members
• All our members must satisfy our professional standards team that they meet our exacting criteria – not only at entry point but going forward on an annual basis, by fulfilling their continuing professional development obligations.