(sav.gov.vn) - As part of the official visit to Canada from September 27 to October 2, on the morning of October 01 (local time), Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Duc Hai lead a delegation to pay a working visit to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) and the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (CAAF).
Welcoming Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai's delegation, the OAG was represented by Andrew Hayes, Deputy Auditor General of Canada; Heather Miller, Assistant Auditor General of Canada; Julien Raynaud, Senior Advisor, International Cooperation Department; along with other OAG colleagues.
Representing Viet Nam’s delegation were Mr Vu Hai Ha, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee; Pham Quang Vinh, Ambassador of Viet Nam to Canada; Y Thanh Ha Nie K’dam, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Ethnic Council; Le Quang Huy, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, and Environment Committee; Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan, Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office; Phan Duc Hieu, Permanent Member of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee; Le Minh Nam, Permanent Member of the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget Committee; and Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Auditor General.
Deputy Auditor General Andrew Hayes expressed his honor and warm welcome to Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai and the delegation visiting and working in Canada. He emphasized that the visit from Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai and the delegation to the OAG demonstrates the significant role of public auditing and help furher strengthen the cooperative relationship between the SAIs of Viet Nam and Canada in the future.
Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai expressed his delight at visiting the beautiful country of Canada and his pride to witness the developments in the friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Canada. He noted that in the context of an increasingly developed society and a more complex market economy, economic information is at risk of inaccuracies, misrepresentation, and a lack of reliability, making the role and responsibilities of audit profession more crucial. Viewed as an effective tool for checking and controlling the management and use of public finance and assets, the SAV has been always highly valued and given the favorable conditions by the National Assembly to fulfill its functions and duties as stipulated by the Constitution, the Audit Law, and related regulations, the Deputy Chairman affirmed.
Appreciating the special attention paid to and strong cooperation of the National Assembly and its agencies with the SAV, Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh introduced an overview of the structure, functions, and duties of the SAV, while highlighting that throughout its 30 years of establishment and development, the SAV has continuously maintained innovative and creative to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of audits, significantly contributing to the transparency and sustainable development of the national finances.
Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh also summarized the key development pillars of the SAV in its Development Strategy by 2030, emphasizing the areas in which they hope to cooperate with the OAG, particularly in human resources training and the application of information technology in audit activities. Notably, he praised the OAG's role in environmental auditing for sustainable development goals, which is also an area of great interest to the Vietnamese government and the SAV in its green transition process. Thus, this area holds promising prospects for long-term cooperation between the two agencies.
Agreeing with the views of Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai and Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh, Andrew Hayes stated that the OAG looks forward to and has high hopes for cooperation with the SAV, wishing to further strengthen collaboration between the two SAIs. This can be achieved through increasing exchanges and regular contacts at various levels and channels, enhancing strategic connections to further improve the quality and effectiveness of cooperation in public auditing.
The Deputy Auditor General of Canada affirmed that they would continue to support the SAV within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks in the coming time. Notably, he thanked Deputy Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai for his close attention and guidance, facilitating the two SAIs’ cooperation in support for fulfilling their assigned tasks.
On the afternoon of the same day, Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh chaired a meeting with the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (CAAF), a long-standing partner that has supported the SAV since 2008. Attending the meeting, from Viet Nam’s side, were Phan Duc Hieu, Permanent Member of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee, Le Minh Nam, Permanent Member of the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget Committee, and Hoang Han, Deputy Ambassador of Viet Nam to Canada. Representing the CAAF were Chairman Paul Forgues, Vice Chair Caroline Jorgensen, along with CAAF experts.
During the meeting, both sides discussed future cooperation directions and plans. Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh proposed continuing to implement cooperation activities under the 2018-2025 Cooperation Program, focusing on strengthening coordination between the National Assembly's committees and the SAV in training and enhancing knowledge for National Assembly officials regarding performance audit. He also appreciated CAAF's assistance to the SAV in measuring its performance according to the performance measurement framework for SAIs.
Anh also expressed hope for CAAF's support in helping the SAV participate in the Project for Governance, Accountability, and Transparency for Inclusive Public Services (GATIPS) to support SAIs in the Indo-Pacific region, thereby building and improving the performance audit capacity of the SAV, contributing to enhancing comprehensive governance and supporting sustainable economic growth.
CAAF leadership praised the cooperation proposals from the SAV and committed to closely collaborating with the SAV in the future to consider appropriate support programs. CAAF leadership also suggested that both sides maintain regular communication channels to exchange information and promote bilateral relations between the two organisations to develop further and in a more effective and practical manner.