International Journal of Government Auditing – Summer 2016
ACTING GLOBALLY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
“When I assumed office as Secretary General of INTOSAI, the organization was shaped by new visions and the spirit of renewal and innovation.”
It is a great privilege and gives me deep pleasure to seize this opportunity at the end of my 12-year term as Secretary General of INTOSAI to reflect on the past decade’s milestones and to take an outlook on future opportunities and the challenges that lie ahead.
When I assumed office as Secretary General of INTOSAI, the organization was shaped by new visions and the spirit of renewal and innovation. My appointment to office coincided with the adoption of INTOSAI’s first Strategic Plan, which set out innovative forms of interaction and leadership. This milestone document, together with the second Strategic Plan, helped to raise the profile and status of INTOSAI by defining four essential goal areas and introducing the development and coordination of professional auditing standards, thus rendering INTOSAI into a professional standard setter and a model organization. As such, INTOSAI has not only advanced its operational structure but also extended its activities and interactions globally. This includes an intensified cooperation with the organization’s external partners, namely the United Nations (UN), the Donor Community, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). These partnerships have all been shaped by a spirit of great colleagueship and mutual respect.