In September 2009, BISTA hosted a stakeholder conference in Amsterdam to present its crowning activity: the pilot of the Accountancy Development Index, which measures the degree of development of a country's economic environment to help set priorities for action and monitor progress. The pilot polled 32 countries with multiple questions about their compliance with international financial reporting standards, corporate governance, professional education and auditing, among other indicators. At the conference, the International Federation of Accountants and UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, committed to work with Royal NIVRA, the Dutch accounting association, and Leiden University to further develop and distribute the ADI to 100 or more countries. In his keynote address, Bert Koenders, minister for development cooperation for the Netherlands, said the global economic crisis is hitting developing countries especially hard, making it all the more crucial for them to improve transparency and accountancy.

Read UNCTAD's account of the collaboration and learn more about the conference.

Published October 2009

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