Former General Auditor Ho Duc Phoc (centre) at the 55th ASOSAI Governing Board Meeting held via video teleconference on July 27. (Photo: VNA) Since the approval of the declaration at the 14th Assembly of ASOSAI in Hanoi in 2018, the SAV has actively cooperated with theNational Audit Office of China – the ASOSAI Secretary General – to step up theimplementation of ASOSAI Strategic Plan for the 2016 – 2021 term with threestrategic goals – to support capacity development of member SAIs, to enhanceknowledge sharing among member SAIs, and to become a model regional workinggroup of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions(INTOSAI).
From 2018 – 2021, its 14 member SAIs have conducted some60 environmental audits covering a wide range of issues, including air quality,maritime and water resources management; waste treatment, management of medicalwaste and imported scrap; renewable energy; and natural conservation,prevention of desertification and soil degradation, climate change andbiodiversity; and others.
As ASOSAI Chair, the SAV has worked with members of theGoverning Board to improve the organisational structure and provideeffective support for member SAIs through the establishment of new WorkingGroups and the launch of ASOSAI Grant to Member SAIs Affected by COVID-19. The proposalfor 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 virtual55th meeting in July last year. It was viewed as a pioneeringinitiative by ASOSAI as a regional organisation of INTOSAI.
The formation of a ASOSAI Working Group on CrisisManagement Audit is expected to get approval at the 15th ASOSAIAssembly slated for September 6 – 8. The initiative aims to assist members inresponding to emerging issues and emergencies.
Being aware that sea level rises, saltwater intrusion anddegrading water quality are having adverse effects on the Mekong River Basinand Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the SAV has chaired a cooperative environmentalaudit on water management of Mekong River Basin in line with SDGs, which wasjoined by SAIs of Thailand and Myanmar.
The SAV has also accelerated the fulfillment of one ofASOSAI’s missions in promoting in-depth and innovative training and experiencesharing between member SAIs to stay relevant to the ever-changing publicfinancial management.
It has been closely coordinating with the Board of Auditof Japan - ASOSAI Capacity Development Administrator - and other ASOSAI committeesand 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 helpimprove ASOSAI’s operational effectiveness. Thanks to such efforts, ASOSAI has receivedtechnical support from leading experts from the Canadian Audit andAccountability Foundation (CAAF), World Bank, SAIs of Indonesia and Malaysia inauditing water management of Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia; and from theINTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) under the IDI-ASOSAI Cooperative PerformanceAudit Programme on SDGs.
The SAV has proved itself a responsible chair of ASOSAI whichrepresented 47 member SAIs to attend a variety of international events, such as the9th International Public Sector Conference of the Association ofChartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of the UK in the Czech Republic, theEUROSAI-ASOSAI Joint Conference themed “Emerging Issues and EmergencySituations” in Israel; the 11th Caribbean Organisation of SupremeAudit Institutions (CAROSAI) Congress in Guyana; and the 23rd INTOSAI Congress in Russia themed “the role of the SAIs in the Achievement ofNational Priorities and Goals.”
The SAV has made active contributions to these forumswith its ideas and presentations on the role of SAIs in enhancing publicfinancial transparency and accountability, promoting efficiency use of theState budget, intensifying corruption combat and improving human resourcesquality./.
VNA
