ACCA has said that it recognises the importance of all 17 interconnected SDGs, and asserts that its commitments demonstrate that ACCA and its community can make the most significant contribution towards nine of them.

These include offering access to a quality finance and accountancy education that is free from artificial barriers, becoming Net Zero by 2030, and working in partnership to build an inclusive global profession that supports the development of ethical, sustainable and successful businesses and economies.

Helen Brand OBE, chief executive of ACCA, said: “Setting out our commitments is an important and necessary step in ensuring ACCA and its community plays a key role in the transformational change business and society needs to see over the next decade. Publishing them brings transparency and accountability to our work and is a logical progression for an organisation that has a proud history of championing sustainability.

“Our purpose, values and strategy to 2025 already align closely to the SDGs, and this latest development shows our whole-hearted commitment to delivering on them, reporting on them annually and engaging with appropriate partners to help us do this.’

Jimmy Greer, head of sustainability at ACCA, added: ‘We have a clear rationale for each commitment, with a framework of measures to drive the delivery of our commitments. This measurement is important, and it complements our ongoing advocacy in this critically important area.

“We plan to keep ‘walking the talk’ when it comes to sustainability. Our commitments are a work in progress, which we can build, evolve and unite around. Finally, we recognise that delivering the SDGS cannot be done alone. It is a massive global effort and ACCA is intent on continuing to play its part.”