SAV fulfils leadership role in realising ASOSAI Strategic Plan

Hanoi (VNA) – The State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV), as Chair of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) over the last three years, has played a leadership role in successfully realising ASOSAI Strategic Plan and, particularly, Hanoi Declaration on “Environmental Auditing for Sustainable Development.”

Since the approval of the declaration at the 14th Assembly of ASOSAI in Hanoi in 2018, the SAV has actively cooperated with the National Audit Office of China – the ASOSAI Secretary General – to step up the implementation of ASOSAI Strategic Plan for the 2016 – 2021 term with three strategic goals – to support capacity development of member SAIs, to enhance knowledge sharing among member SAIs, and to become a model regional working group of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI).

From 2018 – 2021, its 14 member SAIs have conducted some 60 environmental audits covering a wide range of issues, including air quality, maritime and water resources management; waste treatment, management of medical waste and imported scrap; renewable energy; and natural conservation, prevention of desertification and soil degradation, climate change and biodiversity; and others.

As ASOSAI Chair, the SAV has worked with members of the Governing Board to improve the organisational structure and provide effective support for member SAIs through the establishment of new Working Groups and the launch of ASOSAI Grant to Member SAIs Affected by COVID-19. The proposal for the creation of a ASOSAI Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), put forward by the SAV, was approved by ASOSAI Governing Board at its virtual 55th meeting in July last year. It was viewed as a pioneering initiative by ASOSAI as a regional organisation of INTOSAI.

The formation of a ASOSAI Working Group on Crisis Management Audit is expected to get approval at the 15th ASOSAI Assembly slated for September 6 – 8. The initiative aims to assist members in responding to emerging issues and emergencies.

Being aware that sea level rises, saltwater intrusion and degrading water quality are having adverse effects on the Mekong River Basin and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the SAV has chaired a cooperative environmental audit on water management of Mekong River Basin in line with SDGs, which was joined by SAIs of Thailand and Myanmar.

The SAV has also accelerated the fulfillment of one of ASOSAI’s missions in promoting in-depth and innovative training and experience sharing between member SAIs to stay relevant to the ever-changing public financial management.

It has been closely coordinating with the Board of Audit of Japan - ASOSAI Capacity Development Administrator - and other ASOSAI committees and working groups to bolster sharing of knowledge and universal best practices, particularly crucial at the time of COVID-19.

The SAV has been actively seeking partners to help improve ASOSAI’s operational effectiveness. Thanks to such efforts, ASOSAI has received technical support from leading experts from the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (CAAF), World Bank, SAIs of Indonesia and Malaysia in auditing water management of Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia; and from the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) under the IDI-ASOSAI Cooperative Performance Audit Programme on SDGs.

The SAV has proved itself a responsible chair of ASOSAI which represented 47 member SAIs to attend a variety of international events, such as the 9th International Public Sector Conference of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of the UK in the Czech Republic, the EUROSAI-ASOSAI Joint Conference themed “Emerging Issues and Emergency Situations” in Israel; the 11th Caribbean Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (CAROSAI) Congress in Guyana; and the 23rd INTOSAI Congress in Russia themed “the role of the SAIs in the Achievement of National Priorities and Goals.”

The SAV has made active contributions to these forums with its ideas and presentations on the role of SAIs in enhancing public financial transparency and accountability, promoting efficiency use of the State budget, intensifying corruption combat and improving human resources quality./.