Climate change is a global phenomenon that has become a matter of urgency these days. In combating and reducing the impact of climate change, which increasingly endangers the earth, synergy and intervention from all parties are needed. The profession of accountants and auditors has an important role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The accounting profession as we know it today emerged in the late 19th century to provide reporting and auditing services and to serve the public interest.
In commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Master of Accounting Study Program (Maksi) Faculty of Economics and Business UGM, a webinar was held on Thursday (23/06) with the theme “The Role of Accountants and Auditors to Combat Climate Change.” There were two speakers present at the seminar, namely Prabandari Murti, as Senior Manager at PwC Consulting Indonesia, and Singgih Wijayana, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., as Lecturer from the Faculty of Economics and Business UGM.
The event began with a speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Didi Achjari, M.Com., Ak, as the Dean of FEB UGM. By holding this event, he hopes that participants can gain an understanding of how auditors and accountants play an important role in mitigating climate change, one of which is through the standards that are made. Next, there was a speech from Rusdi Akbar, M.Sc., Ph.D., CMA, as the Head of the Accounting Department FEB UGM. He hopes that from this webinar, ideas that can be contributed to make changes and become pioneers related to the topic of climate change mitigation are born. The last one was a speech delivered by Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim, MBA., Ak., CA., as the Head of the Master of Accounting Study Program FEB UGM.
Then, the webinar continued into the main event, which was the explanation of the material by the first speaker, Prabandari Murti. Prabandari, who is an expert in the fields of ESG (environment, social, and good governance) and financial crime, delivered a material titled as “Beyond Balance: The Role of Accountants and Auditors in Sustainable Development.” Based on the material presented, today companies face pressure in managing risks beyond financial performance. Therefore, companies are required to redefine their sustainability strategy and integrate ESG into their business. Accountants and auditors can play a role by exercising their influence on corporate governance in the long term and integrating sustainable development goals into accounting standards.
Next, was the material explanation session by the second speaker, Singgih Wijayana, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D. In general, Singgih delivered material on the understanding of the relationship between accounting and climate change and gave an understanding of how accountants can play an active role in combating climate change. By focusing on the strategic level in combating climate change, accountants (central role) make a greater contribution to the economy and society. In the end, according to him, companies that survive and sustain are those that maintain trust, for example through strategic CSR, especially in fighting climate change. The webinar ended with a discussion and Q&A session between the speakers and participants.
Reportage: Kirana Lalita Pristy
