• Zarif Ludin, originally from Afghanistan, is Head of Institutional Partnerships at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), where he works on accountancy, public financial management and professional development.
• Zarif completed the UNITAR Executive Master’s Degree Programme in 2016, which was launched in 2012 for the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan in partnership with the Graduate Institute of Geneva.
• He applies the analytical, decision-making and communication skills he learned in his work to advance public financial management systems through accountancy.
• Zarif helped bring about the new ACCA–UNITAR partnership to design, deliver and scale practical learning pathways in finance, sustainability, digital innovation, entrepreneurship, public financial management, ethics and value creation.

While he now lives in the US, Afghanistan is Zarif’s home, and his career has been shaped by his desire to improve governance, decision-making and welfare in his country. At the time he joined the UNITAR programme, Zarif was leading the establishment of CPA Afghanistan a professional accountancy organization and regulator of the accountancy profession in Afghanistan under the Ministry of Finance.

Zarif was fascinated by what goes into developing public policies and how they impact national development. He noted that the public sees the final policy but not the extensive analysis, resource allocation and evaluation of ethical dilemmas that go into its development. He wanted to better understand what goes on behind the scenes and that was what attracted him to the UNITAR programme.

I wanted to get a deeper understanding of that process, learn more about the public policy approaches and become fluent in the subject. — Zarif Ludin (Afghanistan), Executive Master’s Degree Programme alumnus

The Executive Master’s Degree Programme was launched by UNITAR in 2012 through a partnership with the Graduate Institute of Geneva and ran three successive rounds. It was developed directly with the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan and with support from UNITAR programme alumni.

Zarif says he valued the lectures, finding them practical and connected to the issues and dilemmas participants were facing in public policy. It also gave him a chance to learn from experts from other countries, compare practices and consider what works in some countries but not others.

What we were learning was directly applicable and transferable to our daily work.

The programme left an impression on him as a way to create synergetic partnerships for bigger impact, much like what ACCA and UNITAR are planning to achieve through their partnership.

Today, Zarif works with development partners and international organizations interested in advancing public financial management systems through the accountancy profession. His work in Africa, Asia and Pacific and parts of Europe includes improving financial reporting, quality implementing sustainability disclosure standards, developing professional accountants and strengthening audit and accountancy regulation.

The analytical, decision-making and communication skills from the UNITAR programme remain part of his daily work. He says the programme helped prepare him to “speak the language” of the many senior professionals he now collaborates with, as well as analyse large amounts of information and make decisions on the spot.

Zarif strongly disagrees that accounting is dull or narrow, and points to the widening role of accountants as they embrace a wider view of business success including environmental and social sustainability. In his view, it is an exciting profession for its capacity to pioneer innovation, embrace new tools like AI and create opportunities for growth. He points out that all industries – in AI, emerging technologies, sustainability, entrepreneurship or anything else – rely on intelligent, professional, innovative and ambitious accounting professionals. 

Accountancy is the backbone of every business, start-up and public sector organization.

Zarif is passionate about helping more people enter a profession that offers opportunities, opens doors and drives the future. He has supported UNITAR programmes in his personal capacity in the past, so it made perfect sense to him to bring ACCA and UNITAR together at an institutional level for bigger impact.

UNITAR’s network, accessibility and values are strengths, he says, that can help reach people who look for learning and skills-building opportunities.  In combining those with ACCA’s professional qualifications and commitment to be a force for public good, Zarif expects the two organizations will raise the bar on professional development in finance and accountancy.

Through the partnership, Zarif looks forward to helping countries strengthen their accountancy profession and public financial management systems. “It is a privilege”, he says, “to be [a UNITAR programme] alumnus … on one hand and a partner on the other”.

On 29 May 2026, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) signed a memorandum of understanding to expand capacity-building opportunities for people around the world. Under this agreement, UNITAR and ACCA will jointly design, deliver and scale practical learning pathways in finance, sustainability, digital innovation, entrepreneurship, public financial management, ethics, and value creation.

This partnership brings together the complementary strengths of both organizations, uniting ACCA’s globally recognized qualifications, accredited learning content and extensive network with UNITAR’s global reach and long‑standing leadership in capacity building. 

For more information: UNITAR Partners with ACCA to Expand Global Capacity‑Building for Inclusive and Sustainable Development

ACCA is the only truly global professional accountancy body, proudly supporting a diverse community of over 257,900 members and 530,100 future members in 180 countries.

We’re redefining accountancy. Our cutting-edge qualifications, continuous learning and insights are respected and valued by employers in every sector. They equip individuals with the business and finance expertise and ethical judgment to lead and drive sustainable value in organisations and economies worldwide.

Partnering with policymakers, standard setters, the donor community, educators and other accountancy bodies, we’re strengthening and building a profession that focuses on people, planet and prosperity to create value for all. www.accaglobal.com