State auditors study to apply software in auditing activities to improve the quality of the work. Photo baokiemtoannhanuoc.vn

HÀ NỘI — The State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) will continue to promote international integration activities in the future and has set it as a key task for the development strategy of the State audit by 2030.

Over recent years, the international cooperation activities of SAV have developed and gained achievements, it said.

Regarding bilateral relations, the SAV has cooperated with more than 50 supreme auditing institutions (SAI) around the world and signed 29 international agreements with SAI and international organisations. Of those, many SAI play key roles in the International Organisation of Supreme Auditing Institutions (INTOSAI) and the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, as well as many renowned professional accounting and auditing organisations such as the UK Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Australian Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).

In terms of multilateral cooperation, the SAV has actively participated in the activities of auditing organisations in the region and around the world. The SAV successfully organised the 14th ASOSAI Assembly in Hà Nội in September 2018, and was elected ASOSAI President for the 2018-2021 term. The SAV would be a member of the Board of Directors of ASOSAI for three consecutive terms from 2015 to 2024.

This is a landmark external event of the SAV, significantly contributing to enhancing the position and reputation of SAV not only domestically but also internationally and regionally.

The SAV has established and expanded relationships with reputable donors such as the European Union, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development and the Audit Fund to attract resources to serve the common goal of development of the SAV.

Technical assistance projects have helped the SAV improve audit guidelines and contribute to the implementation of the action plan for its development strategy by 2020.

The SAV has become more professional in its position of ASOSAI President for the 2018-2021 term in the international and regional community. 

In the future, the SAV said it needs to continue to improve the professional capacity of the cadres, civil servants and auditors, complete the organisation’s apparatus, institutions, policies and regulations on State audit.

It would continue to promote international cooperation integration activities in the field of State audit, effectively strengthen bilateral relations, actively participate in building multilateral rules and standards, and take full advantage of international resources to support the SAV in enhancing the capacity of auditing activities.

To achieve those goals, the SAV said it is necessary to enhance the application of IT in auditing, promptly updating information and experience in auditing emerging issues, and developing and managing international reference resources.

Based on that, it would study and build an online system to help quickly access documents for the sector.

The SAV also needs to complete the role as ASOSAI President until 2021 and member of ASOSAI Executive Board until 2024. It plans to become a candidate for the position of member of the Executive Board of the INTOSAI in the 2019-2025 period, the Secretary General of ASOSAI after 2027, and the Chairman of the ASEAN Supreme Auditing Institutions (ASEANSAI) after 2028.

It also plans to become a candidate for the role of independent auditor for international organisations, especially ASEAN and UN organisations in the 2021-2030 period; and a candidate for the leading role in coordinating projects and research activities of ASOSAI and INTOSAI after 2025.

The SAV said a multilateral professional forum should be established to acquire and update systematic knowledge and experience in audit in the ASEANSAI and ASOSAI region. 

It needs to contribute to the development of general rules and standards, especially those related to audit expertise to become a prominent country in ASEAN-4 in terms of auditing capacity before 2030. 

The SAV will find and implement foreign-funded programmes for the development of the unit. — VNS