The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) welcomes the Government's Vision Statement on Turning Obligations into Opportunities in Developing the Sustainability Disclosure Ecosystem in Hong Kong that outlines the development of a comprehensive ecosystem for sustainability disclosure in Hong Kong. The HKICPA remains committed to playing a significant role within the Government’s vision as the sustainability reporting standard setter in Hong Kong, and looks forward to participate as part of the Government’s capacity building efforts to prepare local stakeholders for sustainability reporting.

The HKICPA believes that equipping corporations in Hong Kong with the ability to communicate sustainability considerations and issues in a common international language is of utmost importance. We applaud the Government's dedication to driving sustainability and recognize the importance of collaboration between regulators, the accounting profession, businesses, and other stakeholders to ensure the success of this initiative. The HKICPA will continue to work with financial regulators and stakeholders in developing a roadmap on the appropriate adoption of the ISSB standards to align with international standards, while recognizing the specific circumstance in Hong Kong.

"The HKICPA is pleased to acknowledge the Government's vision to establish a robust framework for sustainability disclosure, which demonstrates its dedication to building a sustainable future for Hong Kong," said Roy Leung, President of HKICPA. "As the sustainability reporting standard setter in Hong Kong, the HKICPA is ready to take upon the monumental task of developing local sustainability reporting standards closely aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards. We will continue to work closely with fellow members of the Working Group on Sustainability Disclosures (WGSD) and other stakeholders to develop a roadmap within 2024 on the appropriate adoption of the ISSB standards.”

The HKICPA’s role as standard setter

The Institute has been committed to enabling the profession to contribute to the sustainability journey through active communication with its international counterparts, and local capacity and awareness building. To ensure the appropriate alignment of the ISSB standards for Hong Kong, the Institute has been working closely with the Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group (CASG) since the early stages of designing the local sustainability reporting framework.

As stated in the Government's statement, HKICPA is honoured to continue the role of sustainability reporting standard setter in Hong Kong and to support the Government's vision of aligning local sustainability disclosure requirements with the ISSB standards, as well as providing complementary application and implementation guidance.

We commend the Government's intention to drive the development of sustainability assurance in Hong Kong, as it plays a crucial role in ensuring credible implementation of sustainability practices. The Institute will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in its role to develop sustainability-related assurance and ethics standards, with the goal of instilling confidence in the accuracy and reliability of sustainability disclosures.

On capacity building

We support the Government's commitment to continuing existing capacity building schemes and developing capacity enhancement programmes for preparers, reporting and assurance professionals, and sustainability-related service providers. In line with these initiatives, the HKICPA is actively contributing to the comprehensive capacity building programme to prepare local stakeholders for sustainability reporting.

The HKICPA’s admittance into the ISSB Partnership Framework for Capacity Building in July 2023 demonstrates our active involvement in supporting the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards (SDS). In anticipation of the ISSB standards, the Institute has enhanced the HKICPA Qualification Programme syllabuses to include sustainability related subjects across different modules and will continue these efforts. The HKICPA also offers a range of trainings, workshops and publications to prepare stakeholders for the implementation of the ISSB standards and HKEX’s revised climate disclosure requirements.

We have established a dedicated ESG Information Centre webpage to provide updates on this initiative and offer useful resources, including our current suite of sustainability-related trainings. In addition, the Institute plans to establish a dedicated platform for our local stakeholders to submit implementation questions regarding the standards.

The HKICPA’s Best Corporate Governance and ESG Awards form part of the Institute’s advocacy for high standards of corporate governance and sustainability in the Hong Kong market. We also publish sustainability related thought leadership that are incorporated in the Institute’s research reports and budget submissions.

Caption: Roy Leung, President of HKICPA, said, "As the sustainability reporting standard setter in Hong Kong, the HKICPA is ready to take upon the monumental task of developing local sustainability reporting standards closely aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards.

香港會計師公會歡迎政府《發展香港可持續披露生態圈願景宣言》

香港會計師公會歡迎政府發表《發展香港可持續披露生態圈願景宣言》，闡明為香港發展全面的可持續披露生態圈的願景和方針。香港會計師公會作為香港可持續披露準則的制定者，將繼續在香港發展可持續披露生態圈願景中發揮重要作用，並期待參與政府的技能提升工作，為本地各持份者做好準備。

香港會計師公會認為，就著考慮和應對各種可持續發展的議題及問題，香港企業具備以國際通用語言溝通的能力至關重要。我們歡迎政府致力於推動可持續發展，並了解到監管機構、會計業、公司和其他持份者之間合作的重要性，以確保有關規劃的成功。香港會計師公會將繼續與各大金融監管機構和持份者合作，制定適當採用國際可持續發展準則理事會（ISSB）準則的路線圖，以與國際標準接軌，並根據香港的具體情況實行。

香港會計師公會會長梁思傑表示：「香港會計師公會樂見並認同政府的願景，為可持續披露訂下健全的框架。政府致力於香港可持續發展的決心顯而易見。作為可持續披露準則的制定者，我們已準備好肩負推動國際可持續發展準則理事會（ISSB）標準與本地可持續發展報告標準達成一致的重任，並將繼續與可持續披露工作小組(WGSD) 的其他成員和持份者緊密合作，共同在 2024 年內制訂適當採用ISSB準則的路線圖。」

公會作為可持續披露準則制定者的角色

公會一直積極通過與國際同行的密切溝通，不斷提升在可持續披露準則方面的能力和認知，使本地會計業具備足夠能力為本港可持續發展路程作出貢獻。自可持續披露準則框架展開規劃的初期以來，我們一直與綠色和可持續金融跨機構督導小組（CASG）緊密合作，以確保香港的ISSB準則發展方向保持一致。

香港會計師公會非常榮幸，根據政府宣言列明的角色，繼續發揮香港可持續發展報告標準制定者的作用，支援政府推動本地可持續匯報準則銜接 ISSB 準則的願景，並會繼續為準則應用和實施的指引作出補充。

我們支持政府在本地可持續核證的實施進程上擔任重要的角色，並喜見政府推動可持續核證發展。香港會計師公會將繼續與其他持份者緊密合作，制訂本地的可持續發展相關核證和道德準則，以提升香港可持續披露的準確性和公信力。

關於技能提升

我們贊成政府承諾將維持現有的技能提升計劃，並為編製人士、報告和鑒證專業人員，以及與相關的服務提供者制定更多技能培訓計劃。香港會計師公會正在就有關舉措積極制定全面的技能提升計劃，為採用可持續報告準則的持份者做好準備。

香港會計師公會於2023年7月加入ISSB技能提升夥伴框架（ISSB Partnership Framework for Capacity Building），表明我們積極參與支援國際財務報告準則（IFRS）及可持續發展披露準則（SDS）的實施工作。為配合ISSB 標準的實行情況，我們不斷改良專業資格課程的課程大綱，將可持續發展相關項目納入不同課程單元，並將繼續完善相關課程。另外，我們亦提供培訓、研討會及刊物，為持份者實施根據ISSB標準以及經香港交易所修訂的氣候披露規定做好準備。

公會亦專門設立環境、社會及管治（ESG）資訊中心網頁，提供有關準則制定的最新資訊及有用的資源，包括與可持續發展相關的培訓素材。此外，我們正計劃建立一個專門諮詢平台，以收集本地持份者對實施ISSB準則的問題及意見。

我們舉辦「香港會計師公會最佳企業管治和ESG獎」，亦是我們其中一個旨在提高本地市場對可持續披露準則意識的一環。公會亦於研究報告和預算案建議中加入可持續發展相關的標準。

圖片說明：香港會計師公會會長梁思傑指，公會作為可持續披露準則的制定者，已準備好肩負推動國際可持續發展準則理事會（ISSB）標準與本地可持續發展報告標準達成一致的重任。