Chairman of the Accounting Chamber Valeriy Paktsan and the Chairman of INTOSAI, the President of the State Audit Institution of the UAE Harib Al Amimi have signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the State Audit Institution of the United Arab Emirates and the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine. The parties, in particular, agreed that the auditors of the Accounting Chamber will learn from the UAE experience in the fight against corruption and in IT auditing.
Chairman of INTOSAI, the President of the State Audit Institution of the UAE Harib Al Amimi have come to Kyiv at the invitation of the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber. President of INTOSAI visits Ukraine for the first time.
"The State Audit Institution of the UAE is one of the most progressive and developed in the world. It is still known as the active user of advanced technology and the successful fighter against corruption. For a long time we have been interested in building partnerships between the UAE and the Accounting Chamber. And we are glad to get such a strong partner", - said Valeriy Patskan during a bilateral meeting with Harib Al Amimi.
He has noted that according to polls, 79% of Ukrainians consider corruption to be the biggest problem of Ukraine. "Only in 2017 SAI of the UAE found more than 30 cases of corruption. That’s why our auditors shall learn from experience of your specialists in this area", - the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber added.
Valeriy Patskan has also pointed out that the digitization of the economy contributes to the eradication of corruption. “Therefore, I actively promote the introduction of the electronic budget in Ukraine. It is a guarantee of transparency and efficiency of distribution and spending of funds, - the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber noted. - Today in Ukraine more and more administrative services are provided electronically, at the same time, the risks associated with using IT are growing - viruses, cyber attacks and failures in the work. One of the first steps to prevent these challenges is to conduct an independent external audit of IT systems”, he added.
Valeriy Patskan has noted that the Accounting Chamber is interested in high-quality training of future IT auditors, the development of methodological documents on conducting IT audits and organization of continuing training of IT auditors. Chairman of the Accounting Chamber has expressed hope that the UAE will share its experience in this area.
In his turn, Harib Said Al Amimi has noted that the development of professional relations and the exchange of experience in the field of public audit is one of the goals of the State Audit Institution of the UAE delegation visit. "We will be happy to exchange experience in combating corruption and conducting IT audits with our colleagues from the Accounting Chamber. Countering corruption sometimes leads to the loss of our friends in society, but for the sake of the development and prosperity of their country, the auditor should work transparently and honestly. We will do our best to make this cooperation effective in the interests of two countries”, the President of the State Audit Institution of the UAE said.
The parties also discussed cooperation within INTOSAI.
Following the signing of the Memorandum, the delegation of the State Audit Institution of the UAE has met with the Accounting Chamber staff and has become acquainted with the activities of the institution.
During the visit to Kyiv, the delegation of the State Audit Institution of the UAE will visit the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, meet the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy and members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget.
Note: The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) is the international professional organization that joins together supreme audit institutions (SAIs) of countries that are members of the United Nations. INTOSAI was founded in 1953, and currently consists of 194 Full Members countries of the world, 5 others are Associate Members and 1 Affiliate Member.
The main tasks of INTOSAI are to provide auditors around the world with the possibility of exchanging information of common interest, information on current developments in the field of auditing and the application of professional standards and best practices. INTOSAI declares its contribution to better public administration by encouraging SAI to assist governments in improving their activities, enhancing transparency in the budget sphere, ensuring accountability, fighting corruption, and promoting the efficient and effective use of public resources for the value of their citizens.
The Accounting Chamber has been a full member of INTOSAI since 1998. The Accounting Chamber ensures the participation of its representatives in the work of committees of INTOSAI on professional standards development; capacity building and in INTOSAI working groups on environmental auditing (INTOSAI WGEA), on public debt (INTOSAI WGPD) and on Key National Indicators (KNI).