BY NNENNA EZEAH
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, ACCA, has launched ten new global forums to further the thinking on current and future issues in a number of specific technical subject areas in the accountancy and finance profession.

ACCA in a statement made available to Vanguard, said the forums, which was launched a couple of days back, will bring together experts from the public and private sectors, public practice and academia from around the world, including people from leading international organisations.

The statement noted that the Forums will meet on a regular basis and will have an international remit to develop views which are supportive of the needs of business globally, with an increasing emphasis on emerging markets.

Speaking on the forums, Neil Stevenson, Executive Director – Brand, ACCA, says: “The membership of the Forums and the issues discussed reflect the global nature of ACCA’s membership and our work.

They embody ACCA’s belief that consistent global technical insight and policy positions are essential to the global economy, requiring wide contributions from diverse expertise across sectors and geography. “The Forums will be advisory in nature, working to shape and inform ACCA’s global policy; they will also ensure that appropriate issues and concerns for the profession are addressed.”

He said the ten Forums will also support ACCA’s Research and Insights programme and provide new expertise to help ACCA develop publications.

He added that ACCA believes that issues are very frequently local and will continue to pursue a local agenda where appropriate within this new framework, especially in areas such as tax, regulation and SME matters.

He further stated that the new Forums will also help ACCA with its aim to strengthen its local contributions by drawing on thinking and best practice from around the world to inform its insight.

Stevenson added, “These new Global Forums highlight the very wide area of influence accountants have in business from audit to tax to sustainability to corporate governance. ACCA wishes to champion a global accountancy profession which constantly innovates to meet the needs of business.

“It is also clear that issues are increasingly complex and inter-connected. By developing a global framework accommodating many experts across different specialist areas, ACCA will draw on expertise from across the spectrum to provide a truly informed and integrated perspective on issues relevant to the global accountancy profession.”

The new global forums are: Accountants for Business, Accountancy Futures Academy, Global Forum for Governance, Risk and Performance,  Global Forum for Corporate Reporting, Global Forum for Audit and Assurance,  Global Forum for Sustainability, Global Forum for Business Law, Global Forum for the Public, Global Forum for SMEs and Global Forum for Taxation.