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International Public Sector Accounting Standards - IPSAS

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International Public Sector Accounting Standards are independently-developed financial reporting standards.  They are widely considered best-practice for public sector organizations, as they impose the most stringent requirements of clarity and transparency.  IPSAS are based on full accrual accounting, in contrast to the United Nations System Accounting Standards (UNSAS) UNDP currently uses, which are based on a modified accrual method.  In July 2006 the UN General Assembly passed resolution 60/283, mandating IPSAS adoption by all United Nations bodies.

UNDP will be introducing IPSAS in stages, adopting some IPSAS standards in 2009-10, more in 2011 and the rest in 2012.   IPSAS adoption will mean changing the way UNDP records its income, its spending and its assets.  That in turn will mean changing its Atlas information system.  The entire organization will be affected, and many staff members will need retraining.  All these changes are being overseen by the UNDP IPSAS Programme, which is made up of five principal workstreams: Policy and Transition, Change Management, IT, Training and Communications. The IPSAS Programme also coordinates closely with its counterparts in UNDP's ATLAS partner agencies, UNFPA and UNOPS.

IPSAS compliance will ensure that UNDP’s financial reports will provide a complete and accurate picture of its financial situation. Therefore, adopting IPSAS will mean:

• Improved accountability, as UNDP will be providing a complete and accurate view of its business and performance
• Greater transparency about the use of our resources and about our liabilities
• Improved management and planning thanks to more precise estimates of income and expenditure and a fuller picture of assets and liabilities
• Better support for results-based management through the provision of more comprehensive information about costs
• Harmonization of reports and statements across the UN system. This will enhance UN’s ability to act in unison towards key global objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals.

For a detailed account of how UNDP will introduce IPSAS, please see the IPSAS Adoption Strategy and plan (PDF)

Current progress of UNDP’s IPSAS Programme

Reports on IPSAS to UNDP’s Executive Board:

• January 2007 (report to Executive Board)
• May 2009 (informal consultation)
• June 2009 (Joint UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS report to Executive Board)
• June 2009 (Joint UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS presentation to Executive Board)
• November 2009 (informal consulation)

IPSAS Standards

View the standards: English | French | Spanish

For more information on the IPSAS standards themselves, please visit: The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board Website.

Contact UNDP’s IPSAS Programme

For all inquiries and comments on UNDP's IPSAS adoption, please write to Darshak Shah, UNDP's IPSAS Programme Board Executive.