Hanoi (VNA)♏ – A delegation of the State Audit Officeof Vietnam (SAV) led by Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh attended the 26th symposium co-organised by the United Nations (UN) and the International Organisationof Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) in Vienna, Austria, as part of theirworking trip from April 15-21.

Thebiennial event aimed to enhance the capacity of Supreme Audit Institutions(SAIs) in developing countries and economies in transition toaddress climate action challenges. It took the theme “Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 13 onclimate action: role, contribution and experience of SAIs”, with the attendance of representatives from over 60 SAIsand relevant agencies. Discussionscentred on SAI experiences in auditing the impact of climate change, preparing necessary conditions for climate action audits, and enhancing climateactions and the impact of climate change audits. Inrecent years, the SAV has focused on thematic, operational and environmentalaudits that address public concern, and integrated environmental protection andclimate change adaptation into its annual audit plan. GivenVietnam's vulnerability to climate change, the SAV's active participation in internationalcooperation activities in environmental auditing, climate change andsustainable development goals within the INTOSAI framework presents a valuableopportunity for capacity building. This aligns with the SAV's strategy on development until 2030, contributing to the Government's overall efforts tocombat climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve sustainablegreen development goals. Alongside the symposium, Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh also had bilateralmeetings with leaders of several member SAIs of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions(ASOSAI) to seek the support of SAIs for the SAV’s bid for a seat in theASOSAI Governing Board for the 2024-2027 tenure. At aworking session with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), he said the SAVhas full legal basis and authority to audit cases with signs of corruption in accordance with theprovisions of the Anti-Corruption Law and the State Audit Law, adding that enhancingthe effectiveness of auditing major thematic areas related to the management and operation of the State budget; issues that are prone tonegative practices, corruption, wastefulness and important national issues isone of the key tasks of the SAV’s development strategy till 2030. Anh expressed his desire for stronger cooperation with UNODCthrough knowledge exchange and access to international research and publicationson anti-corruption. He asked UNODC to suggest potential areas where the SAVcould contribute to its initiatives and the UN in general. BrigitteStrobel-Shaw, Chief of the UNODC Corruption and Economic Branch, expressed her readiness to share existing guidance related to risk management andanti-corruption efforts with the SAV. With itswide network spanning over 150 countries, UNODC will boost cooperation with theSAV through its regional office in Bangkok, Thailand, she said. The official hoped that the two agencies will actively develop their partnership onanti-corruption through multilateral cooperation forums within the INTOSAI framework./.