The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) are working closely together to support effective implementation of their standards due to come into effect by the end of 2026, aimed at ‘advancing trust and transparency in sustainability reporting and assurance’.

Taken together, the sustainability-related standards - IAASB’s ISSA 5000 and IESBA’s IESSA - as well as the new IESBA standard on using the work of experts, provide a global approach to address growing demand for ‘trustworthy sustainability information to support stakeholder decisions’.

The International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000 (ISSA 5000) provides a principles-based framework for conducting assurance engagements on sustainability information reported by entities.