Workshop on international public sector accounting standards for debt management

The UNCTAD Debt Management and Financial Analysis System (DMFAS) Programme and ZHAW School of Management and Law will start a new collaboration on international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS).

The objective of the collaboration is to conduct a needs assessment for the compatibility of IPSAS 41 standards (financial instruments) with the next version of DMFAS software (DMFAS 7), which will provide improvements to previous versions, including the expansion of debt data coverage, new features for debt operations and transactions, and improved tools for reporting.

With an increasing number of DMFAS user countries adopting IPSAS, it is important that DMFAS 7 supports the calculation of debt positions based on accrual accounting – the calculation of amortized cost in conformity with international standards. This will also facilitate DMFAS's integration into national integrated financial management information systems. 

During 2 days, experts from DMFAS and ZHAW will examine the needs and areas for specific developments required to ensure compatibility. At the end of the workshop, they will deliver high-level requirements for the calculation of amortized cost for financial liabilities (loans and debt securities).

The workshop was made possible thanks to the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).