About Us

The Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) was formed in November 2005 and is an alliance of leading professional accountancy bodies in significant capital markets.  It was created to promote quality services, share information and collaborate on important international issues.  The Alliance works with national regulators, governments and stakeholders, through member-body collaboration, articulation of consensus views, and working in collaboration, where possible with other international bodies, especially IFAC. 

The Alliance facilitates a co-operation between 9 of the world’s leading professional accounting organisations:

• The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA)
• Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
• New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA)
• South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)

These organisations represent over 750,000 professional accountants in over 140 countries from around the globe.

How is the GAA governed?

• The GAA Board consists of the CEOs of the member organisations.  It elects one of its number as Chair.

The GAA Board meets physically at least three times per annum and meets monthly via teleconference.

The major areas of endeavour in 2008 for the GAA cover the following:

• Continued promotion of the arguments for liability reform and the development with IFAC of a case study of how liability reform was achieved in Australia.
• Acceptance by standards setters and regulators of the need for appropriate differentiation between what is needed to effectively regulate listed and large public interest entities as compared with smaller and medium sized entities and practices.
• The development of protocols to ensure that member bodies work closely together in reviewing critical exposure drafts that are released for comment, and collaborating constructively as each organization prepares it’s own responses.
• Membership of the Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability Project and members of the Accounting Bodies network within the Project’s Forum.
• Thought leadership project on Principles, Rules and Reporting Complexity.
• Review of existing Mutual Recognition / Reciprocal Membership agreements.
• Incorporation of the GAA under UK law.
• Publication of a bi-monthly "GAA Accounting" e-journal.
• Project on the cost of reulations.
• Project on governance of standard setters.