Q1 2020

Technology is driving change in society, and different professions are rediscovering roles and aligning themselves with the technological direction of the future. The auditing profession cannot be immune to these effects…

Information Technology (IT) audits are often complex, and audit outcomes tend to result in technical reports written in technical language. As noted in International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) 5300, very few people find such lengthy and complicated documents appealing or understandable. The Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Argentina has…

The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation (Accounts Chamber), Russia’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), recently began using an Information Analysis System (IAS) integrated with government entity databases to conduct remote audits. The SAI’s experience underscores benefits to using such an approach and identifies…

Data has become a prominent auditing buzzword—as revealed through the increased use of the term throughout the global accountability community to include the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and its member Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). While data opens up new possibilities for SAIs…

Technology has changed how we do business, how we conduct public administration and human relations, and how we analyze information. Technological advances have also impacted the auditor´s role with huge implications in government oversight. Using new tools, such as…

Potential useful data is piling up everywhere. Scientific and Technological (S&T) advances are happening quickly and are, just as quickly, becoming difficult to follow. Discussions on topics—such as audit automation, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain—abound, as does advice to move everything to the infamous cloud, and these trends are certainly impacting…

The State Audit Bureau (SAB) of Qatar hosted the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) 13th General Assembly in Doha, Qatar, November 10-14, 2019. The week-long event kicked off with the 58th Governing Board meeting, where delegates discussed…

As Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) President, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Peru, hosted the first-ever Regional High-Level Forum of SAIs (FRAN) on December 4, 2019, in Lima. The inaugural forum…

In the very heart of Europe—Prague, Czech Republic—representatives from all European Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI) will unite to participate in the XI EUROSAI Congress from May 31-June 4, 2020. The Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic…

Numerous delegates representing OLACEFS contributed to the 2019 Annual International Conference for Integrity (CAII), an event hosted by SAI Peru. In his opening address, Nelson Shack Yalta, OLACEFS President…

Four years ago, 193 nations of the United Nations General Assembly put pen to paper and agreed to sign on to implement 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were ambitious goals, targeted for 2030 and envisioned, among other things, ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests. But for goals to be met, action must follow. How does a country chart its progress? How can citizens be sure a nation’s government follows through on these commitments…

Gambia’s National Audit Office (NAO) was a government department until 2015, when it was then declared an independent institution through a National Assembly Act. The NAO has been working on a series of initiatives to transform it into a leading national institution for public funds transparency and accountability. NAO management and staff continue working to improve…

Loss of biodiversity is a global problem. As part of the European Ecological Network, Natura 2000, the Republic of Bulgaria established a National Ecological Network of protected zones—234 for the conservation of natural habitats, wild fauna and flora; 120 for the conservation of wild birds; and 13 bound by both conservation directives. The audit covering a 3-year period assessed…

The Board of Audit (Board) of Japan submitted its annual report to Japan’s Prime Minister in November and recently welcomed a new Board President…

Egypt’s Accountability State Authority hosted several meetings, participated in international forums and continued the organization’s long-standing tradition of collaborative efforts as 2019 came to a close. The ASA…

The Algerian Court of Audit issued its 2019 Annual Report, has been elected to serve on INTOSAI and ARABOSAI Governing Boards and continues work in training and cooperation…

On August 2, 2019, state control bodies of Belarus celebrated their 100th Anniversary. The Committee of State Control, the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of the Republic of Belarus…

Kuwait’s State Audit Bureau welcomes a new President and continues its international training, cooperation and participation efforts, including contributions to the Young EUROSAI (YES) Conference held in London last November…

The Supreme Audit Court of Iran participated in the Astana Economic Foru and hosted a successful international training course on performance audit to close out 2019…

Bahrain’s National Audit Office submits its annual report, welcomes a new Auditor General and celebrates staff in representing FIPP, winning top contest honors…

Rapid developments in Science and Technology (S&T) are transforming multiple sectors of society, including medicine, transportation, and defense. These developments bring both opportunities—such as for economic growth and improved quality of life—and the potential for…

Since the beginning of the new democratic government in 2016, Myanmar’s Office of the Auditor General of the Union (OAG) has planned to transform the government accounting system from…

The French Cour des comptes, the nation’s Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), has crossed a symbolic milestone. Last year, more than 2 million unique visitors visited…

The National Audit Office of Lithuania (NAOL) continues interacting with the public sector through its national SIGNALS conference on sustainable development. SIGNALS 2019, hosted by the NAOL in November 2019, invited participants to learn more about the most relevant public-sector signals, make necessary changes and answer the following questions…

Information Technology (IT) is advancing at a breakneck pace, and Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) must incorporate IT into new anticorruption strategies as to not be outdated by the systematic infiltration of corruption…

Committed to collaborative partnerships, the heads of the National Audit Office of the People’s Republic of China (CNAO) and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2012 to facilitate cooperation and information exchange. Since then, both Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) have…

Confronted with a movement protesting the gas tax increase, the French government took action by launching a National Grand Débat to promote direct exchange with citizens. This national consultation was designed to shed light on citizen concerns within four main themes—ecological transition, taxation, public services and democracy. The consultation was divided into two phases…