Practical implementation of international financial reporting standards

What was only a vision three decades ago has now become a reality. As of the beginning of 2005, over 100 countries, including the European Union, either require or permit use of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) for preparation of financial statements by enterprises in their respective jurisdictions. This publication has been prepared to disseminate the lessons learned to a wider audience. As a growing number of developing countries and countries with economies in transition are embarking on the IFRS implementation process, the need for sharing experiences and lessons learned is becoming even more vital. It is my hope that policymakers, regulators, standard-setters and educators will find this publication to be a timely reference and a useful tool as they go about tackling practical implementation challenges of IFRS.