100 YEARS of AUDIT STRENGTH
16 August of this year marked the centenary of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia. With the adoption of the State Audit Law, the State Audit Office of Latvia from a formal de facto institution founded on 2 December 1918 became a de iure independent, collegial supreme audit institution of the Republic of Latvia.
On the occasion of the centenary, the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia introduced the notion of AUDIT STRENGTH and organized a conference on 16 August 2023 with the intention to look back on the foundation and essential “turning points” in the history of the State Audit Office and the Republic of Latvia with the aim to evaluate SAI Latvia’s contribution to the overall growth of the country, based upon which a short film was launched on the important role of Supreme Audit Institutions and their impact on society.
Film on the State Audit Office of Latvia
On this occasion, the President of the Republic of Latvia Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs stressed the important role of SAI Latvia indicating that its establishment as an independent supreme audit institution was a sign of the commitment of a responsible state willing to overview the legality and efficiency of its public spending.
The President of EUROSAI, Mr Miloslav Kala, Auditor General of the Czech Republic stressed the significant involvement of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia on the international scale contributing to SAIs cooperation with different stakeholders within the EUROSAI Governing Board portfolio.
A pre-conference discussion among Supreme Audit Institution representatives was held to exchange opinions and best practices on stakeholder engagement in the audit process. This discussion focused on the importance of cooperation with different stakeholders in order to achieve common objectives.
In the discussion, Auditor Generals and representatives of EUROSAI members from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Latvia exchanged views and shared different examples from their experience.
SAIs recognize challenges and risks on the engagement of different stakeholders in audit processes. These concern both the necessity to maintain our independence and to provide an objective, external view on the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the use of public funds. There were several key stakeholders discussed – such as the Parliament, media, the general public and others.