IFRS Foundation publishes revised standard-setting handbook

The IFRS Foundation Trustees have revised the Due Process Handbook, which sets out the required steps for the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in developing and maintaining Standards and supporting their consistent application.

The Handbook has been updated predominantly to reflect the creation of the ISSB.¹ It also incorporates feedback from stakeholders, who expressed support for the proposed revisions during the public consultation on updating the Handbook.²

The update of the Handbook does not fundamentally change the process itself, but clarifies that the IASB and the ISSB follow the same rigorous, inclusive and transparent standard-setting process.³

The revised Handbook includes minor enhancements and clarifications, such as to the explanation of the purpose of post-implementation reviews of Standards, the role of the IFRS Interpretations Committee, the process for consulting on minor improvements to Standards and the review process for educational materials.

The Handbook also sets out the process for making changes to the SASB Standards, which companies are required to consider when applying the ISSB’s Standards. Any amendments to the SASB Standards are consulted on in the same way as for IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and are decided on by the ISSB in public meetings—based on the principles of transparency, full and fair consultation and accountability.⁴

The Trustees’ Due Process Oversight Committee is responsible for the due process and has led the work to update the Handbook.

Steven Maijoor, IFRS Foundation Trustee and Chair of the Due Process Oversight Committee, said:

The rigorous, inclusive and transparent due process underpins the Foundation’s development of reporting standards for capital markets globally. The Handbook explains in detail how the IASB and the ISSB develop their requirements.

View the materials

Access the Handbook and the Project Summary and Feedback Statement, summarising how the Trustees have responded to stakeholder feedback.

Watch the explanatory video

Listen to Steven Maijoor's high-level summary of the Foundation’s Due Process Handbook.

¹ The Due Process Handbook was last revised in 2020, prior to the creation of the ISSB.

² The Trustees published their consultation on proposed revisions in December 2024.

³ The ISSB has followed the same process as the IASB since inception.

⁴ The due process for SASB Standards was published in 2022.