Today, the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE) initiative, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Chapter Zero Alliance are launching the Model Guidance for Board-Level Oversight of ISSB-Aligned Reporting and a new training programme to support its implementation. As sustainability disclosure requirements are integrated into market regulation around the world, the quality of board oversight of sustainability-related financial information has never mattered more. There are currently over 40 jurisdictions, accounting for 60% of global GDP and 40% of total global market capitalization, that are taking steps to use the sustainability disclosure standards issued by IFRS Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in their legal or regulatory frameworks.
"Boards are on the front line of ensuring that sustainability disclosures are credible, decision-useful, and aligned with investor needs. This guidance gives directors — and the exchanges and regulators that support them — a clear, practical framework for fulfilling that responsibility. It is the natural next step in the UN SSE's ISSB capacity building journey, and one we are proud to deliver together with IFC and our broader partners." — Anthony Miller, Chief Coordinator, UN SSE
"IFC has long recognized that strong corporate governance is the foundation of sustainable and resilient capital markets. This guidance, developed through our continued partnership with the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, provides directors with a structured and actionable way to fulfil that responsibility. We are proud to support this work and to see it translate directly into practical tools that markets can adopt and adapt." — Charles (Chuck) Canfield, Corporate Governance Manager, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
A practical template for exchanges and boards
The Model Guidance is structured around a four step framework — Understand, Align, Oversee, Communicate — and is designed to be adapted and published by exchanges and regulatory authorities under their own branding. For each step, it provides boards with targeted questions to ask within the board or to challenge management, indicators of best practice, and a checklist to guide oversight of ISSB-aligned disclosures. It also maps each step to the Guiding Principles for Climate and Nature Governance and the IFC Corporate Governance Methodology, helping directors connect this guidance to the broader governance tools and frameworks they may already be using.
The guidance is intended not as a technical compliance manual, but as a governance tool: a reference for board training, committee planning, management engagement, and disclosure review. It was developed with support from the World Bank Group SDG Partnership Fund, in strategic partnership with the Chapter Zero Alliance.
"This new resource for board directors arrives at a pivotal moment, delivering the clarity and direction needed to meet rising expectations on climate and nature disclosures - helping boards build trust and demonstrate real leadership. We greatly appreciate partnering with the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative and the International Finance Corporation to embed our Guiding Principles for Climate and Nature Governance into this important ISSB guidance" — Emily Farnworth, CEO of Chapter Zero Alliance
Building on a proven foundation — and bringing boards into the room
The launch builds on two years of intensive global capacity building on the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. Since 2023, the SSE Academy — in collaboration with the IFRS Foundation and IFC — has trained more than 20,000 market participants on the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards across 67 workshops delivered in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. The programme has been recognised for two consecutive years in the IFRS Foundation Capacity Building Activity Reports as a leading contributor to global ISSB training, and has reached participants from over 130 countries, with 95% of sessions delivered in emerging markets.
As that programme has scaled, a consistent signal has emerged from the market: board members and senior leaders are seeking training that speaks directly to their governance role. That demand has directly shaped the development of both this guidance and a new training curriculum launching today.
New training programme: Board-level oversight of ISSB-aligned reporting
Alongside the guidance, the SSE Academy today launches its new pilot workshop, an interactive workshop on Board Oversight of ISSB-Aligned Reporting. The 90-minute interactive online session is designed specifically for board directors and the exchanges and regulators who support them. The workshop draws directly on the Model Guidance and includes live polling, discussions, and practical exercises to help participants apply the four-step framework to their own governance context.
"Guidance is only as effective as the capacity of the market to use it. That is why, from the very beginning, we designed this publication and this training programme as two sides of the same coin. Through our ISSB workshops, we have heard directly from thousands of market participants — including a growing number of board members — about the specific challenges directors face. We know that for sustainability disclosure standards to deliver on their promise, boards must be empowered to ask the right questions and exercise genuine oversight. This capacity building package is our contribution to making that happen." — Tiffany Grabski, Academy Head, UN SSE
The pilot is being offered today to exchanges, regulators, and key partners ahead of a broader global rollout with SSE Partner Exchanges. Participants will receive a certificate of appreciation for taking part and providing feedback to inform the rollout. The Model Guidance is available for download on the SSE website.
To stay informed about future training sessions, subscribe to the SSE mailing list.