(sav.gov.vn) - On the morning of September 10, the 8th meeting of the Working Group on Big Data (WGBD) of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), hosted by the State Audit Office of Viet Nam (SAV), officially opened in Ninh Binh. The event was attended by more than 100 domestic and international delegates, including over 40 representatives from 23 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and international organizations.
Present at the meeting were Mr. Bui Quoc Dzung, Deputy Auditor General of Viet Nam; Mr. Ma Wenhui, Deputy Auditor General of China; Mr. Walton Alencar Rodrigues, Deputy President of the Federal Court of Accounts of Brazil; and Mr. Mohsen Borzouzadeh, Deputy President of the Court of Accounts of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Among those joining the meeting were representatives from SAIs and international organizations such as SAIs of Malta, Bhutan, Thailand, Estonia, Finland, India, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Denmark, the United States of America, Portugal, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, African Organization of English-Speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E); INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI).
Representatives from several embassies, experts from various central ministries, banking sectors, and technology corporations were also in attendance, including the Department of Digital Economy and Society, Ministry of Information and Communications; VietinBank; the Data Analysis Center at Viettel; and FiinGroup and FiinRatings.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Ma Wenhui, Deputy Auditor General of the Chinese National Audit Office (CNAO), expressed his pleasure in attending the 8th meeting of the INTOSAI Working Group in Ninh Binh and welcomed the new members of the group. He extended greetings from the Auditor General of China, who is also the Chair of the INTOSAI WGBD, to the delegates, and especially thanked Mr. Ngo Van Tuan, Auditor General of Viet Nam, for inviting the delegates and making significant efforts in organizing the event.
According to Mr. Ma Wenhui, new technologies like Big Data, the Internet of Things, and Atificial Intelligence are flourishing, and countries around the world are increasingly using Big Data to modernize systems for national social governance, with public auditing being an important component of national governance.
SAIs around the world acknowledge the importance of Big Data in enhancing the quality of audits. Over the past eight years, the resources generated by INTOSAI members have rapidly expanded, and technologies have been upgraded to apply Big Data more widely. Mr. Ma Wenhui noted that SAIs are still facing challenges, as data is not yet standardized and there is significant room for improvement in the application of technology. According to the International Data Management Association, data management involves managing data resources through licensing, including data analysis to ensure effective data governance. Data governance is a systematic and complex task that involves multiple parties working together to address various stages in the value chain. According to Mr. Ma Wenhui, to enhance data governance, it's crucial to focus on developing audit capacity and fostering cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve six key tasks to enable data activation. Specifically, it's important to build a data system and clarify responsibilities between data management and audit agencies; improve data management, analysis and standardization mechanisms; optimize data storage systems and algorithms; enhance data licensing systems for easier and more effective auditors’ access; improve mechanisms for integrating data and coordinating onsite and remote audits; and ensure compliance and data security by strengthening data security management systems.
Expressing gratitude for the support and collaboration from CNAO, Mr. Bui Quoc Dzung, Deputy Auditor General of Viet Nam, highlighted that data is both an asset for governance and a tool to collectively promote driving accountability policies. While Big Data offers great potentials, it also brings challenges. The key is to harness this data effectively. Over the two days of the conference, participants would exchange best practices and address the challenges they face, all with the aim of shaping public audit in the digital era.
Aligned with INTOSAI’s call for sharing challenges and successes, the conference's objective is to create a future where data governance plays a pivotal role in success, demonstrating a collective commitment to advancing public auditing. Mr. Bui Quoc Dzung expressed confidence that "we will make significant progress on this shared journey."
Previously, to gain valuable insights into opportunities, challenges, and shared lessons among the member SAIs (Supreme Audit Institutions) of the INTOSAI Working Group on Big Data (WGBD), the State Audit Office of Viet Nam (SAV) selected the theme “Data Governance – A New Effective Tool in Auditing – From the Perspective of Data Quality” to host the 8th Meeting of the INTOSAI WGBD in 2024.
It is known that the INTOSAI WGBD was established at the 22nd Congress of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI) in December 2016. The group’s activities aim to achieve INTOSAI’s Strategic Goal 3, which focuses on knowledge sharing.
Annually, the Working Group holds meetings to share knowledge among its member SAIs on a selected topic and to discuss key activities. The annual meeting of the Group is an important event where INTOSAI WGBD member SAIs exchange knowledge and experiences related to big data auditing, listen to reports from the INTOSAI WGBD Secretariat on the Group’s activities, and select a host SAI for the next meeting.
Deputy Auditor General Bui Quoc Dzung shared that in September 2023, at the 7th meeting of the INTOSAI WGBD in Cairo, Egypt, with the theme “Application of Big Data in Auditing,” 26 SAIs participated with SAV playing as an observer. During this meeting, SAV took part in high-level technical sessions of substantial practical value and had chance to refer to the Working Group’s activity reports, gaining deep insights from the experiences of another member SAIs. Such the participation has served as an important foundation and stimulation for SAV to join the Working Group as an official member and have the honor of hosting its 8th annual meeting. At the 8th meeting, delegates will have the opportunity to exchange and learn about the role of SAIs in promoting big data auditing, contributing to the success of the event and to the overall development of INTOSAI WGBD.
Before the discussion sessions, delegates from China, Brazil, and India presented important reports, including: the progress report of the INTOSAI WGBD; the progress report on the research project "“Application of Big Data in Social Security and Health Services"; and the progress report on the research project "Artificial Intelligence in Audit Processes."