National, November 2022: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) hosted a press conference today in Mumbai to share insights about the 21st World Congress of Accountants (WCOA), which is also known as Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants being sponsored from November 18-21, 2022, on the theme “Building Trust Enabling Sustainability” at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants
The WCOA is held once every four years and is popularly known as the “Olympics of Accountancy Profession”. It is one of the most prestigious global events for professional Accountants, organised under the aegis of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organisation for the accountancy profession. It’s a matter of great pride for the accounting profession in India and the entire country, as the Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants will be happening in India for the first time in 118 years.
CA. (Dr) Debashis Mitra, President of ICAI, addressed the media today at ICAI Bhawan, Mumbai, the financial capital sharing the details about the preparations for the 21st World Congress of Accountants 2022. He said, “The focus area of WCOA is centred around Sustainability, and ICAI is making all efforts to make it a Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants. With around 8000 tonnes of carbon credits, WCOA 2022 aims to build a carbon-neutral conference. There will also be a great deal of tech innovation at the conference with three robots deployed to welcome guests, coordinate sessions and much more.”
President ICAI added, “This is the first-of-its-kind Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants with the highest number of participants in WCOA history. More than 9000 global think tanks (Professional Accountants, Economists, Global CEOs/CFOs, Academicians, Industry Leaders, Visionaries, and Delegates) from over 100 countries will attend the conference.”
This WCOA will provide once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from more than 150+ global thought leaders and get priceless insights on emerging avenues, international practices, and current and future paradigms of the profession, stressing the need to protect the Public interest and responsibility towards a sustainable World.
With registrations pouring in worldwide, WCOA 2022 in India has seen the highest number of registrations. In addition, there are delegates from cities across the globe, including France, the UK and Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, to name a few.
CA. (Dr.) Debashis Mitra, President of ICAI, also addressed various developments at ICAI that will help strengthen India’s accountancy profession. He highlighted that ICAI is the 2nd largest accounting body in the world, with 8 lakh students, of which 44% are women. ICAI has 32 elected Council Members and 8 Government Nominees across 5 Regional Councils and 166 branches all over India. ICAI is also present in 77 cities worldwide, with 44 Overseas Chapters and 33 Representative Offices.
CA. Aniket Talati, Vice-President, ICAI also addressed the Press Conference and highlighted the theme of the 21st WCOA and said, “The WCOA, Olympics of Accountants, is based on the theme “Building Trust, Enabling Sustainability” and has been developed keeping in mind the continuous engagement and role of the accountancy profession in building trust to support communities and businesses & to build the sustainable, resilient economies that we need for the future. Thereby the focus of the WCOA shall dwell upon professional enrichment in contemporary and emerging areas. This Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants event is a celebration for India for its step towards becoming the accounting hub of the world.”
The 4-Day Carbon Neutral World Congress of Accountants event will have 35+ insightful sessions addressed by a galaxy of speakers like :
- Shri. Om Birla, Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha
- CA. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles
- Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Hon’ble Minister of State for Finance
- Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- Shri Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller & Auditor General of India
- Shri Kesavan Srinivasan, Deputy C&AG and Chairman of the Government Accounting Standards Advisory Board
- CA. Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Minister
- Padma Shri Mr. Bharat Goenka, Co-founder, and Vice Chairperson, Tally Solutions
- Shri Injeti Srinivas, Chairman, IFSCA (International Financial Services Centres Authority)
- Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
- Shri Harish Salve, Former Solicitor General of India
- Shri Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group
- Shri Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & MD, Reliance Industries Ltd.
- Mr. Dinesh Khara, Chairman, State Bank of India
- Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, Housing Development Finance Corporation Mumbai
- CA. Dilip B. Desai, Founder & Chairman, DHC International
- Shri Sanjeev Mehta, CEO & MD, HUL
- Shri Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India
- Shri Sridhar Vembu, CEO, Zoho Corporation
- Mr. Anupam Kher, an Indian Film Actor
- Yogrishi Swami Ramdev, Eminent Yoga Guru & Founder, of Patanjali Ayurved Limited
- CA. Sunil H. Talati, Chairman, Services Export Promotion Council
- Mr. Deepak Bagla, MD & CEO, Invest India
- Mr. Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, Director, Hamriyah Free Zone Authority, UAE
- CA. V. G. Narayanan, Professor, Harvard Business School
- Mr. Alan Johnson, President, IFAC (International Federation of Accountants)
- Mr. Ian Carruthers, Chair, International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB)
- Mr. Tom Seidenstein, Chair, International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB)
- Ms. Gabriela Figueiredo Dias, Chair, International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)
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