The International Federation of Accountants has released the 2003 edition of its Handbook of International Auditing, Assurance, and Ethics Pronouncements, containing all pronouncements issued as of December 31, 2002.
These pronouncements are designed to be sufficiently specific, understandable, comprehensive, and definitive to influence and guide the judgments of auditors worldwide in carrying out their work.
International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), developed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), and IFAC’s Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, establish benchmarks for the performance of high quality audits. The release of the new handbook comes at a time when international convergence of standards is critical, both to accountants and to stakeholders who have interests across national borders and are increasingly looking for comparative information.
The new handbook includes IFAC's new rules on independence for assurance engagements, a new standard on Auditing Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, and new International Auditing Practice Statements (IAPSs) addressing audits of banks and e-commerce.
A print version of the handbook may be purchased for $100 plus shipping (discounts apply to students, teachers, and developing nations) by contacting Damarys Gil at 212-286-9344, ext 103 or emailing her at damarysgil@ifac.org. A free CD-Rom containing the international auditing, assurance, and ethics pronouncements is included with the handbook.
The handbook, and all pronouncements contained in it, may be accessed free of charge by going to www.ifac.org/store. All final IAASB pronouncements issued throughout the year will also be placed in the store and can be downloaded at no charge. To keep up to date on IAASB developments and projects in progress, visit www.iaasb.org.
