Past sessions

ISAR’s annual sessions in Geneva are among the largest expert meetings hosted by UNCTAD. Past sessions have consistently attracted hundreds of participants from a large proportion of member States. The participants come from a range of key stakeholder groups, including:

• Policy-makers and regulators
• Professional accountancy organizations
• Private sector practitioners in accounting and investment
• Academia and civil society organizations

Each session of ISAR produces a set of agreed conclusions, which guides its ongoing work. Each session’s final report includes these agreed conclusions and provides an overview of deliberations.

Below is an overview of the topics discussed at the annual sessions of ISAR, along with a link to all of the documents related to that ISAR session, including background papers, agreed conclusions, and the session report.

• 39th session – Geneva 1 – 3 November 2022, Programme
  • Good practices in and approaches to the practical implementation of sustainability reporting requirements
  • Review of practical implementation of international standards of accounting and reporting in the private and public sectors
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Workshop: Regional partnerships as a blueprint for maximising impact on strengthening national sustainability reporting practice and infrastructure, 31 October 2022, Programme
• 38th session – Geneva 9 – 12 November 2021, Programme
  • Review of practical implementation, including measurement, of core indicators for entity reporting on the contribution towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals
  • Climate-related financial disclosures in mainstream entity reporting: good practices and key challenges
  • UNCTAD-ISAR – IAAER Workshop Impact of COVID 19 on company financial and sustainability reporting, 8 November 2021, Programme
• 37th session – Geneva 2 – 6 November 2020 (online), Programme
  • Practical implementation, including measurement, of core indicators for entity reporting on the contribution towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals: Review of case studies
  • Climate-related financial disclosures in mainstream entity reporting: Good practices and key challenges
  • UNCTAD-ISAR – WBCSD Workshop Assurance on sustainability reports: current practices and challenges, 30 October 2020, Programme
• 36th session – Geneva 30 October – 1 November 2019, Programme, Photos
  • Practical implementation, including measurement, of core indicators for entity reporting on the contribution towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals: Review of case studies
  • Review of current developments in international standards of accounting and reporting in the public and private sectors
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Workshop Practical implementation of climate-related financial disclosures and their relationship to the SDGs, 29 October 2019, Programme
• 35th session – Geneva 24 – 26 October 2018, Programme, Photos
  • Enhancing comparability of sustainability reporting
  • Issues of practical implementation of international standards of accounting and reporting in the public and private sectors
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Workshop Digital currencies and blockchain: implications for accounting, 22 October 2018, Programme
• 34th session – Geneva 1 – 3 November 2017, Programme, Photos
  • Enhancing comparability of sustainability reporting
  • The role of disclosure in risk assessment
  • Accounting and Reporting by MSMEs as a means towards financial inclusion
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Workshop on practical implementation of IPSAS, 31 October 2017, Programme
• 33rd session – Geneva 4 – 6 October 2016, Programme, Photos
  • Accounting for sustainable development
  • Compliance monitoring and enforcement
  • Reporting in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals
  • ISAR Workshop on Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards, 3 October 2016
• 32nd session – Geneva 4 – 6 November 2015, Programme, Photos
  • International audit and assurance requirements
  • Corporate reporting in attaining Sustainable Development Goals
  • Compliance monitoring and enforcement
  • UNCTAD – Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Introductory Workshop on Sustainability Reporting, 2 November 2015, Programme
  • Workshop on the Implementation and Challenges of IPSAS, 3 November 2015, Programme
• 31st session – Geneva 15 – 17 October 2014, Programme, Photos
  • Mechanisms of monitoring of compliance and enforcement
  • Implementation and enforcement of requirements for professional accountants
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Accounting Development Tool
  • Workshop on the Future Direction of the Corporate Reporting Model, 13 October 2014, Programme
• 30th session – Geneva 6 – 8 November 2013, Programme, Photos, More photos
  • International corporate reporting standards and codes, and their implications for human-capacity building
  • UNCTAD-ISAR Accounting Development Tool
  • Corporate sustainability reporting
  • Workshop on accounting and financial reporting needs of SMEs, 5 November 2013, Programme
• 29th session – Geneva 31 October – 2 November 2012
  • Regulatory and institutional foundations for high-quality corporate reporting
  • Sustainability reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 28th session – Geneva 11-14 October 2011
  • Capacity-building framework for high-quality corporate reporting
  • Integrated reporting and climate change related disclosure
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 27th session – Geneva 13–15 October 2010
  • Capacity-building framework for high-quality corporate reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
  • Environmental accounting and reporting (with a specific focus on climate change-related disclosures)
• 26th session – Geneva 7 to 9 October 2009
  • IFRS implementation
  • Accounting by small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 25th session – Geneva 4 to 6 November 2008
  • IFRS implementation (case studies)
  • Accounting by small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 24th session – Geneva 30 October to 1 November 2007
  • IFRS implementation (case studies)
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 23rd session – Geneva 10 to 12 October 2006
  • IFRS implementation (case studies)
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 22nd session – Geneva 21 to 23 November 2005
  • Practical implementation of IFRS
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
• 21st session – Geneva 27 to 29 October 2004
  • Corporate responsibility reporting
  • Corporate governance disclosure
  • Revised ISAR model curriculum
• 20th session – Geneva 29 September to 1 October 2003
  • Case studies on transparency and disclosure on corporate governance
  • Disclosure of the impact of corporations on society
  • Revised ISAR model curriculum
• 19th session – Geneva 25-27 September 2002
  • Corporate governance
  • Accounting by small and medium-sized enterprises
• 18th session – Geneva: 10-12 September 2001
  • Accounting by small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Corporate Governance – (including a workshop on 13-14 September 2001)
• 17th session – Geneva: 3-5 July 2000
  • Accounting by small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Integrating financial and environmental performance indicators
  • Roundtable on Corporate Governance (hosted by the University of Geneva)
• 16th session – Geneva: 17-19 February 1999
  • Guidelines for the Qualification of Professional Accountants
  • Model Curriculum for the Professional Education of Professional Accountants
  • Global Certification and Accreditation Systems
  • Role of Accounting Disclosure in the East Asian Financial Crisis: Lessons Learned
  • Self-assessment of the functioning of ISAR
• 15th session – Geneva : 11-13 February 1998
  • Examination of national standards and regulations for environmental financial accounting
  • Identification of key environmental performance indicators and their relation to financial performance
• 14th Session – Geneva : 1-5 July 1996
  • Review of significant current developments at the global and regional levels in the field of accounting and reporting by transnational corporations.
  • Accounting and reporting by commercial banks.
  • Accounting for government concessions and other benefits.
  • Compliance with international accounting standards.
  • Reducing barriers to trade in accounting services and the development of a benchmark for professional qualifications.
  • Regulation of the accountancy profession in developing countries and countries in transition.
  • Current developments in environmental accounting.