The WFE has been a long-standing advocate for harmonisation of sustainability-related reporting requirements, as a means of encouraging consistency and comparability amongst the disclosures provided by listed issuers. The WFE welcomed the establishment of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and its objective to provide a comprehensive global baseline for sustainability-related disclosure requirements. We further support its decision to focus initially on information that is relevant to investors, through an enterprise value lens1. Additionally, while it may arguably be helpful to both users and preparers of accounts if the ISSB standards were recognised globally as the reference standards for reporting financially-material sustainability information, local jurisdictions do and are likely to continue to vary in their approach to disclosures, leading to a significant risk of fragmentation.
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