Auditor General met World Bank country director for Vietnam

On 30th January 2018, Auditor General receives World Bank (WB) country director for Vietnam – Mr. Ousmane Dione at the Headquarters of the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV). At the reception, there were also senior financial management specialists from World Bank and representatives from different units of SAV.

Phoc warmly welcomed Mr. Ousmane Dione and his colleagues to visit and work with SAV. He highly appreciated the support and contribution of WB to the development of SAV as well as the results of long-term cooperation between the two organizations. WB has helped SAV develop, implement modern auditing methods and train state auditors; funded SAV to carry out the project "Modernization of auditing methods and practices of SAV" from 2012-2014. In addition, approximately 150 state officials and auditors of SAV have been trained in performance audit, tax audit and taken part in audit experience sharing activities in 2016-2017; WB has also provided SAV with consultants for audit teams and verification teams in the process of developing terms of reference, methods of verification and monitoring…, thereby strengthening the capacity and skills for state officials and auditors of SAV.

Phoc said human resource development is one of strategic goals of SAV with a view to improving audit capacity, quality, efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, SAV hope that WB will further support SAV in capacity building activities such as workshops, seminars on public audit knowledge and experience.

As a major donor of Vietnam in general and of SAV in particular, in the context of the State Audit becoming ASOSAI's President for the term 2018-2021, Phoc requested WB, in the coming time, to assist SAV in fulfilling its responsibilities as the chair of ASOSAI, completing the tasks set out in SAV Development Strategy to 2020. SAV, in addition, would like to be the default auditing unit for WB's programs and projects in Vietnam.

Mr. Ousmane Dione is pleased to see that the cooperative activities between SAV and the World Bank have so far been successful with many practical results and hope that the cooperation between two sides shall be further strengthened in the coming time. He affirmed that WB will support SAV, especially with respect to fulfilling the responsibilities of ASOSAI President for the term 2018-2021 and strongly believed that the 14th ASOSAI Congress will be a great success.

Over the past years, SAV has verified 03 programs and projects funded by WB, namely (i) Rural Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation Program based on results in 08 lowland provinces Hong river; (ii) results-based national urban development program in the northern mountainous region in seven northern mountainous cities; (iii) Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Sanitation Program - Phase 2.