(sav.gov.vn) - At the 16th Assembly of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), the State Audit Office of Viet Nam (SAV) was elected as a member of the ASOSAI Audit Committee (AC) for the 2024-2027 term. It is significant, marking a milestone in the SAV’'s international integration course. This was emphasized by Deputy Auditor General Ha Thi My Dzung in her interview with the Audit Newspaper.
The 16th ASOSAI Assembly in India was successfully concluded. Could the Deputy Auditor General share some insights about the outcomes of this Assembly?
The 16th ASOSAI Assembly was held from September 24-27, 2024, in New Delhi, India, attracting the participation of over 200 delegates representing 44 member Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and international organizations. The Assembly successfully completed its entire agenda.
As a member of the ASOSAI Governing Board for the 2021-2024 term, during the 60th and 61st Governing Board meetings and the sessions of the Assembly, the SAV actively collaborated with member SAIs to discuss and contribute ideas for the Assembly to decide on several important issues.
The Assembly recognized and evaluated the achievements of ASOSAI and its members in implementing the Bangkok Declaration on the theme "SAIs and preparation for the new normal"; adopted the Delhi Declaration on "Empowering SAIs to audit digital public infrastructure (DPI) and inclusive governance"; approved the ASOSAI Strategic Plan 2022-2027, Research Project No. 13, the audit results of the ASOSAI financial fund for the 2021-2024 term, etc.; and established two new ASOSAI working groups on state-owned enterprise auditing and information technology auditing and data analysis; formed a special committee to study the establishment of a working group on regional auditing.
The 16th ASOSAI Assembly elected members for the Governing Board and the AC for the 2024-2027 term. In addition to the five de facto members, including SAIs of Thailand (Chair of ASOSAI for the 2021-2024 term), India (Chair of ASOSAI for the 2024-2027 term), China (Secretary General of ASOSAI for the 2021-2024 term), Japan (Chair of ASOSAI Capacity Development Committee), and Saudi Arabia (Chair of ASOSAI for the 2027-2030 term), the seven SAIs receiving the highest votes elected to the ASOSAI Governing Board for the 2024-2027 term are: South Korea, Malaysia, UAE, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan.
At the 16th ASOSAI Assembly, the SAI of Thailand, the chair of ASOSAI for the 2021-2024 term, officially transferred the position of the ASOSAI Chair to the SAI of India, marking its accomplishment of the three-year ASOSAI Chairmanship term of 2021-2024.
Notably, with its positive contributions to the overall development of the ASOSAI community and its enormous efforts over the years, the SAIs of Viet Nam and Iran were elected as members of the ASOSAI AC for the 2024-2027 term.
Which opportunities will the ASOSAI AC membership for the first time bring to the SAV?
It can be said that becoming a member of the ASOSAI AC for the 2024-2027 term mark a milestone in the SAV’s international integration into the international auditing community. This contributes to enhancing the status of SAV in particular and Viet Nam in general on the international stage, especially as the Party and State continue to affirm that international integration is one of the important motivations to promote socio-economic development, strengthen national synergy, and enhance the country’s international standing and reputation.
As a member of the ASOSAI AC for the 2024-2027 term, the SAV will conduct audits of the ASOSAI financial fund, thereby helping SAV closely monitor and promptly grasp all ASOSAI activities, thus evaluating the effectiveness of the organization’s operations and recommending initiatives and solutions to enhance ASOSAI’s operational capacity.
Additionally, the SAV will continue to participate and provide ideas at the annual meetings of the ASOSAI Governing Board for the 2024-2027 term after completing its role as a member of the Governing Board for the 2015-2024 period.
The candidacy process and the role as a member of the ASOSAI AC over the next three years will create opportunities for the SAV to strengthen its capacity in the public audit, such as auditing international financial funds; conducting audits according to international auditing standards (ISA and ISSAIs); skills in leading cooperative audits; and skills to work in an international environment.
This will also create favorable conditions for the SAV to build a qualified human resource base that meets the demands of absorbing international experience and of international integration in the future, contributing to the overall development of the sector. At the same time, it will provide the SAV with more experience which then serves as a premise for the SAV to run candidacy for an independent auditor post of the other international organizations such as the Southeast Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI) and the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) according to the SAV Development Strategy by 2030.
Could you share the future direction of the SAV to successfully fulfill its role as a member of the ASOSAI AC?
In its new role, the SAV will need to make more practical and effective contributions to the common development effors of ASOSAI during the 2024-2027 term, such as hosting or participating in professional activities of ASOSAI, especially cooperative audits, research projects, etc. in areas of the SAV's interest or strength, such as environmental auditing and SDGs, information technology auditing, and state-owned enterprise auditing; actively participating in the working groups of which SAV is a member, particularly the two newly established ASOSAI working groups; and promoting bilateral cooperation with ASOSAI member SAIs with the aim of learning and sharing share experiences, as well as enhancing auditing professional capacity.
The SAV will also contribute practical ideas at the annual meetings of the ASOSAI Governing Board to join common efforts to develop ASOSAI into a model regional organization of INTOSAI in accordance with its mission and vision stated in the Strategic Plan 2022-2027
In addition, SAV needs to proactively strengthen the financial audit capacity of the working group tasked with the responsibilities of the ASOSAI AC member in accordance with ISSAIs and skills to work in an international environment through learning international experiences in auditing financial funds and participating in other relevant international conferences, workshops, and training.
In its role as a member of the AC, the SAV will also closely coordinate with the ASOSAI Secretariat to carry out procedures, financial documentation, etc., related to the ASOSAI Fund and support monitoring the voting process for key ASOSAI positions at the sessions according to ASOSAI regulations; at the same time, coordinate with SAI of Iran throughout the preparation and execution of the audits at the National Audit Office of China and compile the audit reports to present at the 17th ASOSAI Assembly.
It can be seen that becoming a member of the ASOSAI AC for the 2024-2027 term is a step for the SAV to further deepen its professional integration. However, in long-term vision, in order to meet the international integration objectives set out in the SAV Development Strategy by 2030, especially the objective of enhancing auditing capacity, the SAV needs to prioritize its investment in developing high-quality human resources and a team of approximately 20 audit experts who will participate in international auditing cooperation activities to effectively absorb, communicate, and apply advanced international knowledge and experience, striving to become an advanced professional agency in the Asian region, ready to undertake leadership roles in ASOSAI and INTOSAI working groups in the near future.
Thank you very much, Deputy Auditor General!