IFAC, the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest, issued IFAC Policy Position Paper #4, titled A Public Interest Framework for the Accountancy Profession, on November 4, 2010. In that paper IFAC identifies three criteria for the accounting profession serving the public interest:
Consideration of costs and benefits for society as a whole
Adherence to democratic principles and processes Respect for cultural and ethical diversity Review the policy statement and any changes since it was first issued and explain how these three criteria enable us to assess whether or not (and the degree to which) any policy, action, processor condition is in the public interest.