On September 21, in Rome, the working delegation of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam led by Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan held a working session with the President of the Italian Corte dei Conti Guido Carlino.
The delegation was warmly welcomed by a distinguished panel of Italian officials, including General Prosecutor Angelo Canale, President of the Chamber for the Performance Audit on Management of the State Administrations Mauro Orefice, President of the Audit Chamber for European Union and International Affairs Antonio Mezzera; Senior Counselor and Deputy Head of the Department of International Affairs Office Giancarlo Antonio Di Lecce; Counselor Chief of Cabinet Giovanni Comite and representatives from the United Chamber for Audit. Also attending the meeting was Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in Italy Mr. Duong Hai Hung.
During the meeting, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan expressed his warm appreciation for the opportunity to visit Italy during the significant milestone of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Italy. The President of the Italian Corte dei Conti reciprocated the sentiment, welcoming the delegation and expressing his satisfaction with the flourishing ilateral relations between the two countries. Both institutions engaged in a productive exchange of information regarding their organizational structures, core responsibilities, and recent accomplishments.
Founded in 1862, the Italian Corte dei Conti have its legal status, roles, and responsibilities instituted in the Constitution of the Italian Republic in 1948. The Corte dei Conti holds a pivotal role in safeguarding the judicious administration of public resources with "dual powers" function as both an administrative watchdog to balance of public finances and a judicial body.
At the meeting, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan commended the Corte dei Conti's renowned expertise and expressed his desire to elevate bilateral cooperation between the two agencies in the years to come. This endeavor would encompass the exchange of delegations at all levels, fostering a deeper exchange of professional experiences between the two agencies, organizing training activities, and facilitating the exchange of documents, and audit guidelines and standards.
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan expressed his aspiration for the State Audit of Viet Nam to draw upon the Italian Corte dei Conti's extensive expertise, particularly in four areas in which the Italian Corte dei Conti excels, including environmental audit; public policy assessment; pre-audit and evaluation of the government's policy programs prior to promulgation; and applying information technology and digital transformation into audit activities.
In terms of collaboration strategies, Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan advocated for the expansion of high-level and technical delegations exchanges, expressing his hope that the Italian Corte dei Conti would second experts to participate in training courses organized by the State Audit Office of Viet Nam. Additionally, the Auditor General also sought the Corte dei Conti to invitation for the State Audit Office of Viet Nam to participate in auditing courses and programs conducted by the Italian Corte dei Conti.
Delegates of the two institutions took photos
Acknowledging the proposals put forth by the State Audit Office of Viet Nam, President of the Italian Corte dei Conti Guido Carlino affirmed the institution's willingness to engage in discussions with the State Audit Office of Viet Nam on areas in which the Corte dei Conti has strengths, while also expressing his commitment to bolstering practical cooperation activities between the two agencies.
Emphasizing the importance of formalizing their collaborative efforts, the President of the Italian Corte dei Conti proposed incorporating the agreed-upon cooperation methods into official documents to solidify the cooperative relationship between the two Supreme Audit Institutions. The President of the Italian Corte dei Conti Guido Carlino designated the International Cooperation Department of the Italian Corte dei Conti to act as the primary focal contact point for exploring the possibility of cooperation with the State Audit Office of Viet Nam in the near future, particularly towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.
During the visit, the State Audit Office of Viet Nam delegation engaged in discussions and shared insightful perspectives on the auditing sustainable development goals, public policy, and program evaluation methodologies. At the meeting, both parties delved into environmental auditing geared towards achieving sustainable development goals, encompassing audit topics, selection, implementation timelines, discussions on digitization and data source enhancement, and explorations of pre-audit activities to support the decision-making processes of the National Assembly and the government.
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan respectfully invites the President of the Italian Corte dei Conti Guido Carlino and Italian colleagues to pay a visit to the State Audit Office of Viet Nam, particularly in 2024 on the occasion of 30th anniversary of establishment of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam./.